My Promise to You
by ComeComeParadise
Summary: sasusaku. The sound have sent Sasuke and other sound ninja to Konoha as spies. Sasuke, wears a disguise, and no one,not even team 7 recognises him. Sakura is still in love with Sasuke, but what happens when she starts to fall in love with the new guy
1. Chapter 1

Hey people!Im ComeComeParadise, here with another story. If you are looking for a comedy, then don't look here, cuz when it comes to writing funny things, I pretty much suck. Well, anyways, if you like sasusaku, then I hope that you'll like this fic, cuz it's another sasusaku one.

_At sound village time: dusk. The sun is starting to set, and Orochimaru (spelling?)is holding a mission briefing with Sasuke, Kabuto, and some other sound ninja (that nin isn't in my story much, so he won't have a name)_

"I'm glad that all of you showed up. Sasuke-I'm especially glad that you decided to show up."

"…"

"I'm here to tell you ninja about our next mission. It is to take place at Konoha village. There have been rumors that Tsunade is planning to retire and choose a successor. All of this will be taking place about a year from now. I'm sending you guys there as spies. Try to acquire as much information about the successor as possible, and once you find out who the successor is, I want you to report back ASAP and tell me who it is. I will handle things from there."

"I'm not going." Sasuke didn't want to see his ex-teamates again..._especially Sakura..._

"Sasuke-it's best that you obey lord Orochimaru's orders if you know what is good for you." Kabuto, along with the other sound ninja didnt want to see Orochimaru mad.

"I'm here for my own personal reasons. I'm not interested in Orochimaru's or Sound's goals, only mine."

"You have no idea how strong Orochimaru is. If you don't obey, then he could easily dispose of you."

"It's okay Kabuto. I'm sure he understands that he won't be getting any more power from me if he refuses this mission." _damn._

"…"

Orochimaru continued. "Besides, he probably doesn't want to see his pathetic _friends"_

"It's not that, it's just…"

"Then what is it…Sasuke...kun?" Orochimaru was smiling a sinister smile. Sasuke couldnt help but flinch. No one at sound village called him Sasuke-kun.

"…nothing…I'll go."

Orochimaru knew that Sasuke was going to agree to the mission. "Good. The citizens of Konoha will probably recognize you in a heartbeat. You are to conceal your chakra, and wear the disguise I'm providing you."

Sasuke packed all that was necessary and put on his disguise. He now had brown hair that was tied back in a ponytail, and his eyes were green. Because he was two years older than he was when he left Konoha, his voice had matured, and his facial features had become more handsome (if that were possible). He now stood at six feet, five inches, and was very, VERY muscular. With his disguise on, it was very hard to recognize him.

_Konoha village…I never thought that I would be returning there. _

With that thought, he quickly left Konoha

_At Konoha..._

A young pink-haired shinobi sat by the bridge where team seven would always meet. However, this time, she wasn't there to meet her Kakashi and Naruto. Today, she was there to meet her friend/rival, Ino. Several minutes had passed, and Sakura, who had purposely skipped breakfast to get to the meeting spot on time, was famished. Just as she was about to leave, a blonde blob had caught her keen eye.

"Sakuraaaaaa!" Ino was running as fast as her legs would carry her. After pausing to catch her breath, the blonde girl quickly regained her composure. Sakura cocked an eyebrow at her friend.

"Sakura! Guess what happened on my way here!" Ino was jumping up and down, excitement was written all over her face.

"Lemme see…you got lost on the road of life?" Every word was dripping with sarcasm. "You are half an hour late! If I hadn't known better, I would have thought that you were spending all of your free time with Kakashi!" Looking over at her friend, Sakura quickly realized that Ino was ignoring everything she just said. Sighing, Sakura finally asked what her friend was so excited about.

"I was on my way here when I suddenly came across the HOTTEST guy ever!"

Sakura wasn't moved at all.

"You should've seen him! He was DROP-DEAD gorgeous! He had brown hair, green eyes-"

"-and what about Sasuke-kun? I thought he was the hottest guy ever."

Pausing, Ino stopped describing the "new guy"

"Well, Sasuke was gorgeous, but this guy is even hotter!" Ino had hearts in her eyes and started to float in happiness. Sakura, not wanting to be seen with Ino at the moment, ditched the blonde and went to find someplace to eat.

_Meanwhile, at another part of Konoha…_

Sasuke was currently running away from "new" fan girls.

_Shit…one step into this place and it's already just like old times…stupid fan girls…_

As he continued to run, he began to wonder why his ex-fan girls had forgotten him (as in Sasuke, not the guy he was currently dressed up as) so soon.

"I don't know who you are, but I love you!" all of the females chasing after him began to declare their undying love to him as he ran.

_They're all so shallow…None of them really love me…_Suddenly, an image of a certain pink-haired shinobi flashed through his mind.

_Sakura…she said that she loved me, too. _Remembering his ex-teammate, he continued to run away from the females.

_Damn! They don't show this much strength and stamina when they are training…stupid. They spend all their time and energy chasing men instead of training. That must be why most of the Konoha female population is so weak…_

Sakura was on her way home when all of a sudden, she sees a brown and black blur followed by more than half of the Konoha female population and some gay guys chasing after the blob. (Sasuke is so hot, that there are even gay guys chasing after him. lol) She couldn't help but sweat-drop at what she just saw. _That must be the guy that Ino was talking about…_

She knew that she was different from the former Sasuke fan girls. She couldn't help but feel upset after seeing that the girls that once worshipped Sasuke had forgotten the former heartthrob and were now chasing after some other guy. _He deserves better._ Sakura knew that it would take a lot more than looks to win her over. She was still in love with Sasuke, and promised herself that she would always wait for him.

_Back with Sasuke…_

Still running from fan girls….

To be continued….

ComeComeParadise:

Hellos! I'm planning on having Sakura meet Sasuke in the next chapter, so yah. But since I have a TON of homework from school, Kumon, Spotlight, extra-curriculars, AND several other things to work on, I may not be able to update till next week, OR vacation, so PLEEEEEEEEEZ be patient! Easy on the reviews! I mean, I love reviews, but since this is my first time writing an ACTUAL story, ( My other story, Miss You More wasn't exactly a story…) and also my first time putting some comedy in a story, (Miss You More was _kinda_ angsty and made my reviewers cry….) I'd appreciate it if no one flames me. I want reviews and **CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM**! I'm still a newbie, so yah…

Who is Tsunade's successor? (Take a wild guess) Will Sakura fall for the "new guy"? WHAT THE HELL IS GONNA HAPPEN NEXT!

Stay tuned to find out…


	2. Chapter 2

Next Chapter! Sasusaku-ish, so yah, something to satisfy sasusaku-hungry people. (im one of them, so don't take it as a personal insult.)

The next day, Tsunade cancelled Sakura's training for the day. On her way back home, she passed by a certain bench. It was the bench that a certain raven-haired avenger placed her on right before he left Konoha, and right after she declared and confessed her love to him. Suddenly, memories of that night came flooding into Sakura's mind. The memories of the man that she had tried so hard to forget began to once again occupy her mind. Sakura walked over to the bench and sat down. Running her finger absent-mindedly along the edge of the bench, Sakura began to reminisce all of her past memories. Before she knew it, she was breaking out in tears.

At the same moment, Sasuke happened to be taking a leisurely stroll around Konoha. It was still pretty early, so there weren't any fangirls (and fanboys lol) to worry about. He was trying to think about his mission, when all of a sudden, his thoughts were disturbed by the sound of someone crying nearby. Looking up, he spotted a blob of pink not too far away. Knowing only one person with pink hair, he quickly figured out who the sad person was.

"Stop crying. It's annoying." Sakura looked up, startled. She found herself staring at the "new guy" and his cold, green eyes. _Wow…he really IS hot…_ Inner Sakura had already found her voice. Sasuke smirked. He gracefully sat down next to her.

"Why are you crying?" Now, normally if a stranger were to ask Sakura a question like that one, she would smile nervously and say that nothing was the matter. However, for some strange reason, Sakura _knew_ that the handsome person sitting next to her could be trusted, and wont repeat or laugh at whatever she had to say.

After a moment of silence, she finally spoke. "Well, there was this guy a while back. He and I were on the same team. He was a really good looking guy, but his personality wasn't as nice as his looks." Sasuke immediately became interested in what Sakura had to say. Was she talking about him?

"At first, all I really knew about him was that he was a genius." _Oh yeah. She's DEFINETLY talking about me. It CANT be that dobe._

"I said that I liked him, when in reality, it was nothing more than a shallow kind of like. However, as we grew closer as a team, and worked together more, I couldn't help but respect and admire his personality. I began to fall in love with who he was, not what he looked like. He was always so hard-working, and he put his goals first. "Sasuke cocked an eyebrow. _She really did…love me. _

"Then one day, he just…left. I told him how I felt, that I loved him, but he didn't care. He left this village and betrayed us for the sake of his goal."

"Do you even know what his goal was?" Sakura didn't expect her new "companion" to ask her such a question.

"I've been training with the Hokage ever since he left. During those times, I did a little research about his past, and found out about the massacre. His entire family was killed by his older brother." Sasuke's eyes widened. _So…she cared enough to find out? She really must care._

Sakura smiled a sad, nostalgic smile as her eyes shifted downward. "I…still love him."

He was speechless. _After all this time and all that I did to her…she still loves me! _He began to wonder what he did to deserve such love. He was truly impressed. After two years, he had expected her to forget about him and move on, but she didn't. He felt the corners of his mouth tug. For the first time in many years, he smiled a true smile.

"You should keep waiting. Maybe, just maybe, after this guy accomplishes his goal, he may return, and when he does, his heart will be open and free to love and return your feelings." Sakura looked up at the stranger. He was the first person that said something positive about her feelings for Sasuke. Normally, people would tell her to give up, but this man encouraged her feelings.

"You're right…thanks."

They sat there for several moments together. Not a word passed between the pair, but both people were content with the other's presence. Suddenly, their "peace" was disturbed when the ground began to tremble. Both ninjas looked up and saw a dust cloud quickly approaching the bench where they sat. Sasuke's eyes widened in horror. _Oh shit. Fangirls. _He quickly got up to leave and began to take off.

"WAIT!" he fell over and turned angrily to the person that told him to stop. It was Sakura.

"I want to thank you for listening to me talk. What's your name?" _ugh…I need to think of a name…uh…._

"…um…Koji."

"Thanks Koji. My name's Sakura."

"hn."

"See you around?" Sasuke nodded a quick nod and took off. _Damn. How am I supposed to concentrate on the mission if I cant walk around without getting mobbed!_

Sakura smiled at "Koji's" retreating figure. Though they had only met for less than an hour, she instantly took a liking to him. He was a man of few words, but she was…interested in him.

_At Hokage tower. Surprisingly, Tsunade is awake and NOT drinking sake._

"There are so many strong ninja in Konoha, but only a few of them posses the traits and characteristics of a leader." Tsunade was browsing through a bunch of papers with pictures of Konoha residents.

"However, there _is _one particular candidate that stands out significantly from the rest."

"Uzumaki, I presume?" Shizune was standing nearby.

"Well…yes, but I cant just name him my successor right away. I mean, there _are_ other ninja that are just as eligible as he is."

"Well, then, I guess that we are going to have to continue observing our candidates."

"I suppose…"

ComeComeParadise Corner:

Hey! Im quickly running out of ideas…(I know that's pathetic, especially since this is only ch.2, but im always thinking, so I might have some ideas eventually…) Well, Keep the reviews coming! Remember, NO FLAMES, but constructive criticism IS accepted. This is only my 2nd fic ppl! If anyone has suggestions, Im all ears. LOVE U ALL!


	3. Chapter 3

Heys…Im gonna try to make my chapters longer…but that may affect the "consistency" of my updates…lotta things going on in life. Anyways…

I wanna give a super bear hug to all of the people that reviewed! Seriously! This is only my second fic, so I wasn't expecting any reviews AT ALL! Thank you! I HEART you all!

Well….here's the next chapter fer those who told me to update:

Sasuke quickly came up with a temporary solution to his fangirl (and fanboy lol) issues. He woke up the next morning at 2:30 AM and left his apartment wearing a hooded cloak and sunglasses (Shino style! Actually, not quite…). He arrived at the bridge where Team 7 used to meet everyday. He started to reminisce the times when team 7 would meet and have to wait for their sock-faced sensei to show up. He let out a sigh and started to train. He didn't want to dwell on the past. As he did his one-finger push ups, he began to think about the conversation he had with Sakura the other day. Sasuke was impressed with Sakura, though he would never admit it out loud. _She has grown…matured even._ After finishing his 500th (sorry if it sounds like a crazy number.) finger push ups, he moved on to practicing punching/kicking on a log. (poor log) _she…still loves me after I left her…deserted her, even. She still has faith…and nice legs._

Quickly realizing what he said, er thought, he began to punch and kick the log even harder. The last thing he wanted to do was to become another Kakashi. Quickly, his little training session was interrupted when he sensed an all-too familiar chakra approaching. He stopped training and stood still. _Hyuuga…_He was inwardly cursing.

"Who are you and what do you want from me?" Sasuke was trying really hard to maintain calm, cool, and collected. The Hyuuga smirked and approached Sasuke. (in this convo. : _**Sasuke's thoughts, **Neji's thoughts)_

"Wow, I'm impressed. You sensed my presence." Neji's voice was dripping in sarcasm.

"Like I said – what do _you_ want?" **_why wont that godamned Hyuuga stop smirking!_** (a/n: Yeah, Why! That's Sasuke's thing!)

"You're pretty good. What's your name?" **_didn't he ask me this at the chuunin exams? No manners whatsoever._** (a/n: I live in America, and I read the American manga, so if it's slightly off, don't blame me-blame the translators)

"It's common courtesy for one to introduce himself first." _That bastard…who gives a fuck about manners!_

"You're a chuunin right? How old?" **_I'm a Jonin dammit! _**

"I don't have to tell you a thing." _Forget him then…_

The two prodigies then turned and went their own separate ways. Actually, Sasuke stayed to train a little longer while Neji went to do Neji-like stuff. **_Deja vue…_**

_I had that conversation somewhere before…_

(now it's back to normal again for thoughts and stuff, kay? Im sorry if it was confusing…so from now on, _aldjhfa_people's thoughts.)

Sasuke stayed at the spot for a little while longer to wrap up his training. After he was done, he put the cloak and sunglasses on to disguise himself. (a disguise on top of a disguise…how sad.)

Sasuke ventured off into town afterwards. He needed to obtain information about the Hokage's new successor, especially since he already wasted two days because of the fangirls. As he was walking down Konoha's main street, (a/n: is there even one! Ohs well, this is MY story) his acute hearing caught part of a conversation between some of the village elders. He leaped onto the roof above the elders and continued to eavesdrop.

"I know. Who would have thought that the Hokage would even consider naming him her successor. I mean, do you know what he is!"

"I know, he nearly destroyed the village fifteen years ago. Why would she appoint a weapon of mass destruction as the protector of our village!" Sasuke's eyes widened. _No. No way. They cant be talking about the dobe, can they!_

"Well, she didn't exactly name him her successor. I mean, she's only considering. That Uzumaki boy…who knows what would happen if he were Hokage…" _holy shit. It IS the dobe! _

"It's a shame, really. I seriously think that the Hokage should make her apprentice the next Hokage." _Apprentice? I hope so, too. Anything's better than a total dunce ruling over a country like Konoha._

"I know. That Haruno girl is really something. Who would've known that _she_ would become as strong as she is now?" _Sakura? Strong? _

"Tsunade IS considering her too. Haruno shows A LOT of potential." Sasuke, deciding that he had heard enough, left and continued walking around. _She…became stronger. Did she do that for me? _His thoughts were interrupted when he heard something growl. Looking down, he realized that he hadn't eaten since 2:15AM. He left t find something to eat.

On his way to that ramen shop that Naruto always goes to, (no idea what it's called), he met Sakura. He tried to turn around and head in the opposite direction, but the kunoichi's trained eyes were sharp. She noticed that her friend was wearing a cloak, and decided against questioning his apparel.

"Koji! Were you gonna get lunch too?" _How does she recognize me!_ Looking around, he was relieved that none of his other fangirls had recognized him. _Her improvement-it already shows…_Sasuke, being REALLY hungry, decided that because that ramen shop happened to be nearby, the only sensible thing to do would be to go in there and eat ramen with Sakura.

"…yah."

"Well, then come on! Let's go grab a bite to eat. Training's over anyways." _Oh yah. She's Tsunade's apprentice._ He wanted to slap himself for forgetting what he overheard from the elders. The two of them walked into the ramen shop and sat down next to each other. The couple received many stares from the other customers as they walked in, primarily because not many people were used to seeing a guy wearing a HUGE hooded cloak and sunglasses. Sasuke, not liking any of the attention that he was getting, shot a death-glare at everyone staring. Sakura, seeing all of this stifled a giggle. They sat down and ordered their ramen. Not a word passed between them while waiting for the ramen. However, shortly after they received their orders, a certain loud-mouthed blonde waltzed into his favorite ramen shop.

"SAKURA CHAAAAAAAN!" Sasuke's eyebrows were twitching. Although he considered Naruto as his brother, it didn't necessarily mean that he wanted to see him at that very moment. The blonde invited himself over to their table and sat right next to Sakura.

"You wouldn't believe what happened today! I was training with ero-senin (is that what he calls Jiraiya?) and he was about to teach me a new technique when all of a sudden a bunch of girls walked by us saying something about going to the hot springs. Then, he just left me and followed them! Can you believe it! He'd rather spend time "researching" over teaching me!" Sasuke needed to shut the man up, quick. He needed to maintain his sanity.

"I don't blame him, **dobe**." Old habits die hard. Both Naruto and Sakura stared at Sasuke with big, saucer-like eyes. O.O Naruto struggled to find his voice.

"DOBE! You don't even know me! Who do you think you are! You-you…BASTARD! Teme! Jerk! Ass! MOTHA-"

"Naruto…um, everyone is staring. Could you please SHUT IT!" This time, it was Sakura's turn to be stared at. Naruto didn't like it when people interrupted him when he was on a roll. Sasuke just forgot what it was like to hear a sometimes timid girl like Sakura shout. (timid my ass! Haha) Naruto turned to Sasuke.

"There's only one person that's allowed to call me a dobe, and that's Sasuke, although I'd never admit it out loud…" Sasuke and Sakura slapped themselves on the forehead.

"You dobe. You just said it out loud." _Heh. So I'm theonly person allowed to call him that eh?_ Sasuke was smirking inwards. Naruto started to blush. No one embarrasses him in public! Not even a total, complete stranger!

"You shut the hell up! You teme! That's right you're a teme! You-you…." Naruto stood there, not knowing what to say next. He didn't know the guy's name! Sakura and Sasuke both rolled their eyes.

"Koji" Sasuke stated. _If the dobe wants to insult me, he'd better do it right._

"Thank You. YOU KOJI-TEME!" At that, Naruto got up, and stormed out of the ramen place leaving his ramen behind.

Sakura was rather surprised at what she just saw. In fact, if she hadn't known better, she would have thought that Koji was Sasuke himself! (wouldn't she like to know…) She saw so many similarities between Koji and Sasuke. The way both of them argue with Naruto, the way both of them never seem to talk unless spoken to, their glaring/scowling, and the way both of them never seem to smile or act cheerful. Sakura began to feel butterflies in her stomach as she continued to stare at Koji and watch him eat.

"Could you stop staring? It's annoying." (Sasuke says this)

Giggling, Sakura turned around and started to eat her ramen. _They have so much in common. _

Sasuke watched Sakura eat her ramen while silently giggling to herself. _So annoying…_He didn't hate her…he never really did, actually. He just sometimes doesn't _get_ her. Not wanting to be caught staring, he turned around and continued eating. Neither one of them exchanged a word. After lunch, Sasuke and Sakura went their separate ways. On his way back to his apartment, he heard a message that only members of Sound would understand. It said to meet at Kabuto's apartment at the end of the day. Sasuke was glad that he had information on who the new Hokage are going to be, but he didn't feel that he should share that info with the other spies. He knew that Orochimaru was planning something BIG, and that the bastard would kill whoever the successor was. He didn't want his friends' lives to be in danger.

Blah…. Blah….Blah….Blah….Blah….Blah….

_At the Sound meeting…_

"Did any of you acquire any information on the new successor?" (Kabuto)

"No…the elders and citizens of Konoha are either clueless, of extremely tight-lipped." said a sound ninja.

_Tight lipped? My ass. I just overheard some elders talking about the successors IN PUBLIC._ Sasuke remained silent. None of the other ninja had much luck either.

Kabuto, seeing that none of the others had any information, continued, "Well, what I heard may not be of much significance. Some adults said that Tsunade hasn't made a descision yet, but she is searching for new and upcoming ninja that posses both leadership skills and battle strength. I want you guys to become one of the possible candidates."

Blah….Blah….Blah….Blah….Blah….Blah….Blah….Blah….Blah….Blah….Blah….

Sasuke went to sleep that night thinking of what he learned that day. He was most definitely surprised at the two people that the Hokage are considering. Especially a certain pink-haired kunoichi. _Sakura…of all the people, her! Once I leave, she becomes strong. ...…impressive. Maybe I should ask her to spar with me one day…_He went to sleep that night thinking about her and her only.

_Sakura…_

Sasusakusasusakusasusakusasusakusasusakusasusakusasusakusasusaku

ComeComeParadise Corner:

Wow…another chapter. I finished it WAY faster than I thought I would. Umm…one question that has been bothering me all day: Is Sasuke OOC? If he is then I'm uber sorry! I tried really hard to keep him in character! As for Naruto…he DID show up in this chapter. You should be seeing more of him in later chapters.

I took this online quiz, on some Naruto website, and it turns out that the character that I am most like is SHIKAMARU! He's awesome. He's always been my favorite character, and he always will. No fic is complete without him saying something along the lines of, "How troublesome…" haha! I'm gonna try to get some Shikamaru "action" in to my fic. Oh, and I also think Jiraiya and Kakashi (but mostly Jiraiya cuz he's more perverted) are awesome. PERVS R AWESOME.

As for Tsunade's Successor…I kind of already have the person in mind. Give yas a hint: He/she is gonna be either Naruto of Sakura or SHIKAMARU! When I told my friends that Shikamaru might be the Hokage, they were all like, O.0 lol.

So there u have it. A longer chapter than the other two. Maybe cuz of the extremely long a/n I typed…ohs well. PLZ REVIEW! AND NO FLAMES! ONLY CONSTRUCTIVE CTITICIZM! Thx. Love U ALL.


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you for all your constant fan letters.

When I'm tired…

When I'm bored…

When I'm groaning in pain…

When I'm sleepy…They always flip my heart's switch. I read them all. Thanks truly!

-Masashi Kishimoto, 2000

ComeComeParadise: That goes double for me, only it's reviews instead of fan letters. Thanks truly!

Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

'SASUKE, I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART!'

Sasuke woke up every morning from the same exact dream. Silently cursing to himself for eating left-overs the night before, he got up, and prepared to train.

On his way to his usual training spot, he saw that his spot was taken by a pink-haired girl and a woman with big knockers. Out of curiosity, Sasuke remained hidden as he watched the Hokage train Sakura.

"7997, 7998, 7999…8000!" The young kunoichi finished her last one-fingered push up, got up and smiled proudly at the Hokage.

"Very good, Sakura. Take 5, and rest. We'll spar later."

Sasuke, hiding nearby in the bushes watched wide-eyed. _8000 one-finger push ups…that's more than what I do everyday. She's…better…she's become an almost worthy adversary…_

Half-an hour had passed, and there was still no sign of Tsunade. It was only 2:59 AM, and Sakura doubted that her teacher had gone far. After waiting a little while longer, she became worried and left to search for Tsunade-sama.

After wandering aimlessly around Konoha, Sakura ran into something. Looking up, she saw her sensei sitting at a table drinking sake and gambling with some other random people.

"Sakura! (hic) Look! I had (hic) no idea that there were places like this (hic) open (hic) sooooooo urlieeeeeeee!"

Veins popped in Sakura's head. She and Tsunade were SUPPOSED TO SPAR! Sakura wanted to see how much stronger she had become. She wanted to help bring her Sasuke-kun back to Konoha, and there's no way that she can do it when her teacher is drunk and playing some random gambling game that made no sense to her whatsoever.

"You and I can spar."

The voice startled her, but she knew it too well. Smiling, she turned around and met Koji face-to-face.

"How did you know that I needed a sparring partner?"

She received no answer from her companion. Sighing, Sakura mumbled a "sure." Koji turned around and walked ahead of Sakura. His back faced her as she watched his back. Noticing that she was once again watching someone's back, tears began to involuntarily cascade down her eyes. _…Why am I watching this man's back? I made a promise. _Hastily wiping her tears away, Sakura ran and caught up with Koji. She walked beside him, matching every step he took.

They arrived at the training spot, and Sasuke removed his cloak and sunglasses. It was 3:30 AM. Both got ready in their fighting stances. Each eyed their opponent carefully. _Gotta remember not to use the sharingan._

With a quick leap into the air, Sasuke began the match. Bringing his foot down, Sasuke prepared a kick from above. Sakura dodged the blow quickly and threw a punch at Sasuke. Sasuke blocked her punch easily. She threw another punch at his stomach, and he blocked that punch as well. _Gotcha._ Smirking, Sakura used her monstrous strength and flung Sasuke Over her head. As he flew up, she jumped up above his now falling figure and landed a painful kick on his stomach. Sasuke, having the wind knocked out of him smirked. _She IS better…but she isn't as good as she can be. Better end this now before my fangirls wake up._ Using his tremendous speed and strength, Sasuke threw a series of kicks and punches, all of which Sakura had considerable difficulty blocking and evading. Pinning her against a nearby tree, he sighed. Realizing that they both were only centimeters apart, he pulled away and put his cloak and sunglasses back on. _She's good, but I know that she can do better._

Turning around, he looked at her and said, "That was pathetic. Train more and I'm sure you can do better."

Sakura watched Koji's retreating figure sadly. _Pathetic? After all this time, I'm still pathetic? _Once again, she found herself crying. _Sasuke-kun…I'm so sorry. I tried, but I guess that wasn't hard enough. I promise that I WILL get stronger. I'm going to train TEN TIMES as hard._

Sakura got up and ran towards Koji shouting, "KOJI! NEXT TIME WE HAVE A SPAR, I'M GOING TO BE STRONGER. BELIEVE IT!"

Koji raised up his hand signaling that he heard her. ( You know, like Gary from Pokemon.)

Sakura smiled. If she was ever going to become strong enough to bring Sasuke back, she HAD to become stronger. She made a promise to the one that she loved, and she planned on keeping it. It was her nindo.

When Koji finally disappeared out of sight, Sakura giggled to herself as she said quietly to herself, "He's so…." Searching for the right words, she finally said, "He's so Sasuke-like."

Blushing at what she just said to herself, she shook her head.

"No. Sasuke's the only one for me."

Still, she couldn't help but enjoy being around Koji. He was just so much like Sasuke, and she couldn't help liking him because of that. He was cold. He was hot. He was an emotional stone. He was a man of few words, but that's why Sakura fell for Sasuke in the first place. Now, seeing the same exact qualities in her new friend, she began to become interested in him.

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When Shizune found Tsunade gambling and drinking sake, it took all of her strength (and several other villagers') to drag the strong-willed and strong-bodied Tsunade back to the Hokage tower. When Tsunade finally sobered up, she found Shizune laying on the floor of her office panting and flushed.

"Oh please, not here! Get your man and do it someplace else!"

"…Tsunade bitch-er, I mean, _sama_, I brought you here from the local bar/casino to discuss important issues."

"Oh…I see. Are you sure that you weren't…_you know_…cause if you were, then you KNOW that you should go to Jiraiya, instead of me."

Resisting the urge to slap Tsunade, Shizune replied in the calmest voice she could muster, "Yes, Tsunade. Nothing happened. We are here to discuss your successor." _That bitch…why the hell would I have sex on the floor of her office, when I can do it in front of Jiraiya and get paid royalties from the ComeComeParadise series!_

"…" After a brief moment of thought, Tsunade replied.

"As you and I well know, there are a lot of strong ninja here in Konoha. However, I'm looking for a person that is not only strong, but wise as well."

"Then that means that Uzumaki is definitely out of question?"

"…Maybe…but I like that kid. He possesses so much potential, and as dense as he may seem, he still has a good heart. That, to me, is even more important than wisdom and strength combined."

"…And what about Sakura and the other ninja?"

Pausing to think, Tsunade replied, "Sakura is a wonderful girl. She has a good heart, and she is strong. I love her as if she were my child. But right now, her heart is too fragile. With Sound threatening to destroy Konoha, I can't risk making Sakura the Hokage because she still loves Uchiha. If our country were to end up at the hands of that traitor, she wouldn't be able to do a thing."

Both of them kept quiet, each woman lost in her own thoughts.

"There ARE other people, though. I've also had my eye on a certain lazy-ass."

Shizune's eyes widened in horror.

"No-You've got to be kidding."

"Relax. I'm only considering. Shikamaru may be a good for nothing fool, but he _is_ a genius. He is a talented shinobi, and is a wonderful tactician."

"B-but, this is SHIKAMARU for GAWSH SAKES! He would think that being Hokage is too troublesome, and the entire village will be destroyed overnight! You wouldn't want to have to step out of retirement like your old sensei, do you?"

Both of them sighed. They needed a successor. STAT.

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ComeComeParadise Corner:

Chapter 4! Think of it as a Thanksgiving present for all of you! As all of you may have realized, I SUCK at writing battle scenes. I didn't want Sasuke to use his fire-thingamahoozit jutsu. (have to look it up. Too lazy right now.) cuz if he did, then it might give him away to Sakura. What other jutsus does he use other than the fire-ball ones? Ohs well…Shikamaru got _mentioned_ in this chapter, so I'm happy for myself. That Dude's awesome. I also had Jiraiya in the last chapter. The only favorite character of mine that is missing is Kakashi. I'm gonna try to get him in the fic cuz Konoha isn't Konoha without sock-faced Kakashi. Remember: PERVS R AWESOME!

REVIEW PLZ! NO FLAMES!

I Heart all of the reviewers! Stay Tuned!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5! Woot! I've been pretty consistent with my updates, so so far, my inner-Shikamaru hasn't kicked in yet! (key word:YET) lolz. Anyhoo, I really wanna thank all of my beloved reviewers…again. Over 50 reviews and still counting! I just realized, like, yesterday, that I never actually put up a disclaimer. Hopefully all of you are smart and KNOW that I don't own Naruto. –only Kishimoto-sama does. (haha! Sama!)

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After training the next day, Sasuke decided to pay his old home a visit. Sure, he didn't want to be anywhere near the Uchiha resident area, but he still wanted to make sure that it was still intact. Who knows what could have happened to that place after two years? He wanted to make sure that the place was still there. He didn't want the memories of his youth (haha! Reminds me of Lee and Gai!) to be destroyed, painful as they were.

His feet knew where to go-as if by instinct, they carried him there. It's been a while since he last visited the place where his clan proudly lived, and he felt somewhat nervous visiting. As he slowly approached the Uchiha living area (sorry, I know that sucks!), he quickly realized that someone else was there. Someone was trespassing in his territory! He quickly ran up to see who the person was, but suddenly, upon recognizing his "visitor", he stopped running and hid himself behind a pole.

_What the hell am I doing? This is my home. I shouldn't be the one hiding._

Peering over at the person, Sasuke realized that the visitor was Sakura. As he silently watched the kunoichi, he thought to himself.

_What is SHE doing here? This isn't her home. Is she lost?_

He continued to watch the young cherry blossom.

Sakura was wandering around the district. She gently brushed her hand on the Uchiha fan on one of the walls. She stared at the fan with a look of yearning-of longing. Her face slowly crumpled as she got down on her knees and cried, clutching her heart as if it had been painfully ripped out of her body.

"Sasuke..kun…please, please come back safely." She choked out desperately, her voice was hoarse. Sasuke couldn't bear it any longer. The tears were annoying the hell out of him!

"Stop crying. It's annoying."

Sakura gasped. She was so caught up in her own feelings that she didn't sense her visitor's chakra! Her vulnerability at the moment shocked and even scared herself.

"You're always crying. You really liked him, didn't you?"

Roughly brushing her tears away, she replied, "Not liked, love. You were the one that told me not to give up, right?"

Her words made his heart feel heavy. Had he caused her this much sorrow? He was just as bad as his brother! Sasuke scowled. Sighing he extended his hand to her. She accepted it, and he helped her up.

"Why are you here Sakura?" There was a VERY, VERY VEEEERRRYYYY slight hint of concern in his voice. Sakura sensed this and smiled a distant, nostalgic smile.

"I think I should be asking you the same question." Her question caught Sasuke off-guard. There was no way in hell that he was going to tell her that he was there to check on his old home. After a couple of seconds of thinking, he finally replied.

"I…got lost." She sighed.

"I'm here…because this is where _he_ used to live. This is the first time that I've been here. I never knew that there were so many houses in this area. A lot of people must have once lived here." After a brief pause, she continued, "It must have been hard for him to lose all of them. It makes me sad just thinking about all the sorrow his brother had caused him. He's the man that hurt Sasuke-kun….I…I promised myself that I'm going help bring him back-Sasuke, I mean. But just yesterday, after our spar, I realized that the level that I'm on right now isn't good enough if I ever want to stand a chance against him."

"…"

An awkward silence passed between them. Then, Sasuke, decided to break the silence. (wow, that's a first.)

"…You intend to fight him?"

"…Yes, if that's what I need to do to bring him back. I'm going to show him that I didn't waste two years of my life just crying and doing nothing. I'm going to show him that I became stronger…for _him…_.I'm willing to do whatever it takes to bring him back…because that, to me, is what true love really is."

"…" The avenger was lost for words. He didn't know what to say.

"Sakura. You didn't waste two years of your life. Anybody can see that. I'm sure that he'd say the same to you if he saw you right now." _Thank you…Sakura._

She blushed at his words. Although they were said without emotion, she _knew_ that he meant every single word that he said. Smiling to herself, and to him, she replied, "Thank you…Koji-kun." This time, it was "Koji's" turn to blush. He hid it, of course, so Sakura didn't notice a thing.

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After lunch, Sasuke went into town to do some more spying. (lol. Sounds cheesy-ish) He passed by the same elders that "told" him about Tsunade considering his friends as her successors. He had been in Konoha for about a month, and he needed information for the meeting he and the other Sound spies were having that night.

"I heard that the Hokage is STILL searching for candidates."

"I don't blame her. There are rumors of Sound planning an attack on Konoha, so it IS most sensible to find a good, strong Hokage by then."

Before Sasuke could listen to the conversation any further, he saw a blonde dot running towards Konoha main street. Quickly realizing that it was Naruto, he jumped off the roof that he was perched on and continued on his way. He wanted to avoid having an argument with the blonde because it would draw more attention to himself. It was bad enough that he had millions (I like to exaggerate) of fangirls and fanboys –he winced at the thought of the latter, but he also was wearing a hooded cloak and sunglasses, which caused people to stare at him. He often times wondered why it was okay for a guy like Shino to wear an outfit much like the one he was currently wearing, while it was considered…_weird_ for him to be wearing the same exact thing. All of a sudden, a loud voice pierced through the hustle and bustle of Konoha main street.

"Yo! I'll buy 100 boxes of instant ramen! I completely ran out, and it's IMPERATIVE that I restock NOW!"

Sasuke shuddered merely at hearing the loud voice of the dumb blonde. _How does that idiot even know what imperative means? Isn't that out of his vocabulary range?_

He tried to sneak out of the market as fast as he could without being noticed, but to no avail. As he was sneaking out of the area, Naruto saw him and called out,

"Hey you! You're that teme!"

Silently cursing to himself, Sasuke turned around and replied, "…and you're that dobe." _Ugh. Round 2._

"I told you that the only person that can call me dobe is Sasuke-teme!"

People began staring, and Sasuke thought, _damn. So much for not drawing any attention. That dobe._

Shrugging his shoulders, he replied, "Whatever. No matter who you say that to, you'll always be a dobe."

With that said, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked off, leaving a pissed-off Naruto cussing. As he was walking off, a bunch of random girls that happened to be walking by and saw, rather, _heard_ the "little argument" between our favorite shinobi, asked eachother, "Who _is_ that?" "Did you hear his voice? It was soooooo _sexy_. Beads of cold sweat rolled down his head. Not wanting to be recognized, Sasuke ran away from the girls and spent most of the day in his apartment.

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_At the Sound meeting…_

Kabuto: Lord Orochimaru is getting impatient. Although we have plenty of time left for our mission, he's starting to get upset because of the lack of information he's been getting on the new successor. Does anyone have anything they want to tell him?

Silence filled the room. Kabuto frowned.

"Well, he's not going to be happy."

"I heard that she's still searching for suitable people to be Hokage. There are rumors going around about us planning an attack on this village, and she wants to find someone good enough to protect the rest of the village against us."

All eyes turned towards Sasuke. Kabuto eyed him suspiciously.

"There are…_rumors_ going around about Sound planning to attack Konoha?"

"That's what I said."

"Well then, Sasuke _kun, _did you have anything to do with those rumors? I mean, you _did_ grow up here. Are you sure you didn't 'accidentally' tell anyone about us being here?" Sasuke glared at Kabuto.

"I left this village two years ago. I have nothing to do with it now."

The Sound spies were dismissed from the mission.

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Naruto went to the Team 7 bridge that morning.

"Stupid sensei. What's the point of always being on time when that perv is always late?" He had been waiting for nearly an hour ad his stomach was calling for ramen.

"It's stupid. Why bother?"

"Because if the perv sees that you're late, he's going to kill you."

"EEEEEK!" Naruto shrieked. He wasn't expecting his teacher to be only 45 minutes late.

"WHO ARE YOU? YOU'RE NOT KAKASHI-SENSEI! YOU'RE TOO EARLY!"

The jonin sighed. He took out his ComeComeParadise (that's me!) book and started reading it. Realizing that it really WAS a ComeComeParadise book in the man's hand, Naruto waited a couple of minutes for the information to register. After a couple of tumbleweeds rolled by the two of them, Naruto finally said something.

"Omigawsh…YOU REALLY ARE KAKASHI SENSEI!"

_That took a while._ Sighing, Kakashi finally said, "Yo."

"You're late!"

"No, actually, this is early for me, so I'm going to go back to the road of life. Tell Sakura when she gets here that I'll be right back." With that said, Kakashi teleported somewhere else.

Naruto called out to him, "Don't get lost!" _like you did all those other times we were supposed to meet._ He added mentally.

Five hours had passed since the perv left, and Sakura and Naruto were growing more and more bored with every passing minute. Suddenly, a poof of smoke brought the two chuunins back to reality. It was time for the usual routine.

"YOU'RE LATE!" the two of them cried in unison.

"Well, you see, I got lost on the road of life…"

"HEY! I TOLD YOU NOT TO GET LOST BEFORE YOU LEFT EARLIER!"

Both of them stared at Naruto.

"Naruto, you're such a…dobe!"

"Hey! Sakura-chan, not you too! You must be spending too much time with Koji-teme!"

"Koji? I thought that the only person that dobe-er, I mean, _Naruto_ calls teme was Sasuke." The jonin then looked at Sakura. "And I thought that the only person that calls Naruto dobe was Sasuke."

Naruto and Sakura told Master Kakashi about Koji, their new friend, or in Naruto's case, the new teme. After being "enlightened", Kakashi only said,

"I see…"_just like Sasuke…and Sakura seems to be falling for this guy…I wonder…_

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ComeComeParadise Corner:

WoW. This chapter turned out to be longer than all of the other chapters…wow.

Kakashi is here! Hip-hip-hooray! Now ALL the pervs are in, or at least mentioned, in my story! This chap ended up having A LOT more sasusaku in it than I planned, but the more sasusaku, the better! It's really hard to have romance with Sasuke in it, but I feel that in all of the sasusaku moments in the whole Naruto series so far, he's showing _some_ affection to Sakura, only Sasuke style. I'm still praying and hoping that Kishimoto-sensei will put Sasuke and Sakura together (even though I'm already 96 positive that he will) because most of the narusaku fans out there have been really mean. (tear) anyways…stay tuned for the next chapter, and if you are going to review, plz say something more than UPDATE! I've been very thankful that all of you reviewed and respected me not wanting any flames. Keep it up! I've only received (nice) comments so far, so I'm practically floating in happiness.

Remember: REVIEW EVERYONE! NO FLAMES AND…ONLY CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM!


	6. Chapter 6

Hello everybody! ComeComeParadise here with chapter 6 of My Promise to You. There's some MAJOR sasusaku in this chapter, depending on how you people form your opinions…MAJOR, MAJOR, MAAAAAAJJJJOOOOOORRR thanks to ALL of MY reviewers! I mean, last time I checked, I had MORE than 56 REVIEWS! **Woot!** Anyways, on with the story…

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The next morning, after training for about an hour, Sasuke decided to take a quick walk around the training grounds. As he was walking, he heard a female voice grunting in the distance. Recognizing that the voice belonged to Sakura, he decided to check up on her and see what she was doing.

"79,997, 79,998, 79,999…" sweat was pouring down the young kunoichi's forehead. Sasuke could only watch wide-eyed. After summoning part of what was left of her strength, Sakura finished the last of her one-fingered push ups.

"80,000!" With that, she collapsed in exhaustion.

_What the hell? 80,000 push ups? Wasn't she only doing 8,000 last week?_ Sasuke was like, O.O ? "…_I'm gonna be stronger"_ He sweat-dropped upon remembering what Sakura said that day. _She really wasn't kidding._

He continued to watch her from the top of a nearby tree. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that there were cuts, bruises, and scars marked all over her once fragile body. He also couldn't help but notice that she was A LOT more muscular than she was when he left Konoha. He KNEW that she had been training more. _She certainly hasn't wasted two years of her life._ He remembered their conversation the previous day at the Uchiha district.

"Okay Sakura. Training's over for today. I must say—you've improved considerably. Great job!" It was her teacher and mentor, Tsunade. Sakura smiled at her sensei's words.

"Umm…Do you mind if we started training an hour earlier tomorrow?"

Shocked, her sensei replied, "But we already ARE training earlier than we did the other week. Training already starts at 2 AM. Aren't you pushing your self a bit too hard?"

Sakura shook her head and smiled. "I want—NEED to become stronger. Unlike many of the other people here in Konoha, I'm training to protect someone I love. I'm training for the sake of a person that means the _world_ to me."

Tsunade's eyes saddened at her student's words.

"Sakura…it's Sasuke, isn't it?"

Her protégé nodded. Tsunade couldn't help but feel sad for her. Though she would never admit it out loud, she, along with almost all the other villagers, were almost positive that the young Uchiha was dead. The mere thought of her student training for the sake of one whom they thought would never return her love saddened her.

_Sakura…you have a lot going for you. You're very beautiful, smart, talented, and nice. You can easily marry into a wealthy family and live a much happier life than you do now waiting for the Uchiha. Why?_ She sadly shook her head as she walked away from their training ground.

Sakura waited until Tsunade was out of sight. After seeing that her sensei was gone, she said, "Koji-kun…I _know_ that you're here."

"…" Sasuke jumped off the tree that he had been perched on a while ago. It was 8:00 AM, and both of them were starving.

"Wanna grab a bite at that ramen place?"

"hn."

Both of them walked off towards the ramen shop. They entered, ordered their ramen, and ate silently. Neither one of them said a word to the other. After lunch, both of them went their separate ways. Sakura went to train some more on her own, while Sasuke focused on his mission. This became a daily routine for the both of them over the next few months. Both of them would go eat ramen together after hours of training and go their separate ways after their meal. Their meal was always silent, not a word would ever pass between the two. Despite the lack of conversation, over the course of time, the two of them grew closer as their mutual understanding for one another developed over the course of time. They never spoke to one another or made eye-contact. Each and every time, their meals would be silent, each content in the other's presence.

Every time they met and ate their meal, Sasuke would feel an unfamiliar feeling growing within him, a feeling that was long forgotten. It would start at the pit of his stomach and spread over to his heart. It made him feel nervous and yes, even tongue-tied, although they never spoke. Every time he saw Sakura, the feeling would kick in, and much to his annoyance, it never went away. In fact, the feeling grew worse over the course of time. The more he saw her, the stronger the feeling grew. It drew him crazy, although it never showed. Despite his calm, cool, and collected exterior, his interior was waging an inner turmoil.

He didn't know what the feeling was, and it bugged him.

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After training one day, Sakura called Koji over after Tsunade left.

"Koji! Come here!"

He silently walked over to her. She was beaming. Sasuke cocked an eyebrow.

"I beat Tsunade in our spar today!"

Sasuke was shocked, REALLY shocked, but his facial expression hardly showed that. _Sakura? She beat the Hokage in a spar?_ Sakura noticed (yes, she did the impossible) Sasuke's expression.

"I'm not kidding! We had a spar, and I won!"

Looking around, Sasuke noticed that the ground was cracked, there were kunai and shuriken everywhere, and a couple of trees and tree branched were broken. He sweat-dropped. Sakura smiled.

"I got stronger…and it's all because of you…"

He looked at her. _All because of…me?_

"After our spar the other day, you helped me realize that I haven't been training as hard as I'm capable of. Because of you, I'm as strong as I am today." Sakura smiled as she hugged Sasuke.

Sasuke felt his cheeks heating up. _Oh no…I'm blushing!_ He sighed and made his blush disappear in record time. He made no effort to push her off of him. All of a sudden, he felt his arm moving. Looking at it, he realized that it was heading towards her waist.

_What the hell? Stop!_ His body was moving involuntarily. His mind was screaming for him to stop, but his body had a mind of its own. Finally, he gave into his body and let himself return her hug. His arm hung loosely at her waist. Realizing this, Sakura blushed. The two of them sat there, content in each other's arms. For a brief moment, Sasuke forgot about Itachi and his fangirls, and for the first time in two years, Sakura forgot about training.

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A week had passed since that incident. Neither one of them mentioned the hug to the other. After training one day, Tsunade noticed more improvement from her student. However, happy as she was that Sakura was becoming stronger, she couldn't help but feel depressed thinking that all of her student's efforts were in vain.

"Sakura…I have terrible news for you…"

Sakura looked up.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

Tsunade felt a wave of uncertainty. _I'm sorry Sakura…it's for the best…_ Taking a deep breath, Tsunade finally replied.

"Sasuke…he's…dead."

Sakura froze. _No. this cant be happening. Tell me it isn't true!_ She felt tears running down her face. Smiling, she brushed them off.

"Wow…You really had me going there…that was really funny sensei!" She began to laugh.

"Sakura. I'm not kidding. He's dead!"

Sakura got up and began to laugh even harder as she walked away.

"Sasuke, dead! Haha! That's really funny!"

Tsunade watched her student's retreating figure with saddened eyes. _Sakura…_

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Sakura continued to walk until she found a bench to sit on.

By the time Sasuke finished training and arrived at Sakura's training grounds, he noticed that she was gone. _Where is she? She's never not here._ He began to feel worried for her. _Where the hell could she have gone? What the hell happened?_ He began searching for her. Finally, he found her sitting on a bench. He walked over to her and sat down next to her.

"You weren't at your training grounds. Did something happen?"

Sakura turned to look at him, her eyes brimming with tears. She wasn't crying, but she was about to.

"Tsunade-sama is so funny. She told me the craziest joke ever!"

"…" _what's…up with her?_

"She said that Sasuke-kun was dead! Can you believe it? Dead! Isnt that the craziest thing you have ever heard?"

_Yeah…it IS. What do they mean I'm dead? Last time I checked, I was still alive and breathing. _

"And to think that I believed her for a second! How stupid of me! To think that I believed that after all this hard work and training…to think that for a second I thought that it was all a waste! How stupid of me!" Sakura broke out into a fit of laughter.

"…" To be honest, Sasuke thought that she was crazy, INSANE, even. He remained silent as he watched her laugh.

"Haha!...ha…" Her laughter was wearing down. _What…the hell?_

"…" She stopped laughing.

"I'm just so…stupid!" She finally let all of her tears flow freely. She buried her face into his chest while she cried, muffling her sobs.

Sasuke put an arm around her and sighed.

"Sakura…did you ever think that he was dead when he really wasn't?"

Remembering the incident at the bridge, she replied, "Yes…it was about two years ago. I was twelve, and we were defending an old bridge builder against some assassins."

"Was he dead?"

"…no."

"Do you _believe_ that he is dead _now_?"

Her eyes widened. How could she have been so foolish? She had ignored what her heart had been telling her all along. She _knew_ that he was alive. Her heart was telling her that, and she could _feel_ it.

Wiping the last of her tears off her face, she replied, "No. I _know_ that he's alive. I can feel it in my heart."

Sasuke smirked. _Fool._

"!" He felt two arms wrap around his body.

"Thank you…so much, Koji-kun. You've always been here for me, just like him. Thank you." She looked up into his eyes. Her sparkling emerald eyes met his artificially-colored jade ones. Slowly, both of them began to lean into a kiss. Sasuke didn't know why or what was happening, but he decided to go with the flow, and enjoy the moment. Their lips drew together slowly, until they were only centimeters apart. Sasuke could feel his heart pounding, and was almost certain that Sakura could hear it pounding. Suddenly, Sakura drew away from him, leaving a very frustrated Uchiha. Her eyes were down cast as she said to him sadly,

"I'm sorry, Koji-kun…I must remain loyal to Sasuke-kun."

_What?_ Sasuke wanted SO BADLY to be able to tell her right then and there that he WAS Sasuke and claim her lips. Not being able to do so further frustrated him. It was then that her realized that the unfamiliar feeling he felt for Konoha's cherry blossom was…_love_.

"…It's fine."

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Later that night, at the Sound meeting, Kabuto arrived with news.

"It's been nearly five months since our arrival at Konoha." Silence…

"Lord Orochimaru is frustrated at the lack of information he has been receiving lately. He is making preparations on an attack. We are to train and devise new strategies. Sound is going to conquer Konoha." At saying his last sentence, Kabuto glared at Sasuke.

"Any objections?" silence…

"Good."

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Sasuke went to bed that night wondering what the hell he was going to do. Which side is he going to fight on?

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ComeComeParadise Corner:

I don't know, which side? Stay tuned to find out! Many things to do this week, so I may not be able to update again until next week…many sorrys!

Plz review, and NO FLAMES!


	7. Chapter 7

ComeComeParadise here! (I doubt that any of u ppls read this part, though…) hm…how to get a bunch of readers' attention?

**SHIT!**

There. That should do it. Thank you fer reading the opening statement, even if u didt tune in till just after you read…that. _Anyways…._

On with the story! YA-HA!

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Sasuke stayed up most of that night, unable to sleep.

_Should I fight alongside Sakura and the others? What would they think of me if I were to betray them all of a sudden? I mean, they were my comrades…_

Then, he remembered Itachi and his clan…he _needed_ the strength that Orochimaru was offering him. He _needed _to kill his brother.

"_Sasuke! I love you with all my heart!"_

His mind switched back to another memory. What is it going to be? Love or revenge? His mind was waging an inner battle he knew he could never truly win. But then, he looked at his situation from a different perspective: Will I fight for the sake of 1 person or my entire clan? The answer was pretty damn obvious.

_I'm sorry, Sakura. I….lo…nevermind. I'm…sorry. _

He turned on his side in his bed. His heart felt like steel. It was heavy and felt like it was pulling down on him like weights. He hated himself for choosing revenge yet again over her. He was getting sick and tired of it, but it was his goal, the sole purpose that he was still living.

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The next night, at the Sound meeting, Kabuto came with an announcement.

"Orochimaru is sending a troop of Sound nins here tomorrow in broad daylight. We are to act as ordinary citizens. When they start attacking, we are to ambush the unsuspecting citizens from within their own battle lines. Spread out, and don't attack until you hear the sound signal."

"Why would that bastard send a huge group of nins in broad daylight? The citizens will be alert and they will be prepared."

Kabuto looked at the person that made the comment.

"Sasuke, you know better than to question Orochimaru-sama. How the hell am I supposed to know what he's planning?"

"…"

At that, the Sound meeting was dismissed. As Sasuke left, he heard a scream not too far from where he was. Instantly, he knew who the voice belonged to. _Sakura! What the hell's going on?_

He dashed towards he cry. She was cornered by a bunch of Sound nins.

"What do you want?" Her eyes were full of fear.

One of the Sound nins chuckled softly to himself. His friend gave her a sinister grin. And began to slowly approach her as she backed away.

"You're the Hokage's apprentice, aren't you? You're kinda cute. I'm sure she wouldn't mind if we taught you a lesson of our own…"

"…and what lesson would that be? I already know enough to be able to defend myself from asses like you."

The ninjas smirked as they eyed Sakura hungrily.

"Feisty, aren't you? Too bad. Before long, you'll be nothing more than a whimpering girl. We're gonna teach you what it feels like to be broken over and over again…to bad you wont be able to live to tell anyone."

Sakura was shocked. She got into a fighting stance.

"Bring it, you bastards."

They smirked and charged at her. _Two against one…the odds are against me…_ Silently cursing to herself, Sakura jumped up and dodged a punch from one of the nins. She landed gracefully on his outstretched arm and landed a powerful kick on his face. The nin covered his bruised face while shouting a colorful string of curses. Sensing a strong surge of chakra coming from behind her, she turned and did a round-house kick, which landed painfully in the other nin's gut. Smirking, she dodged a kick from the ninja and swung her leg around knocking him down. She jumped up and turned while bringing her heel down with much force. She brought her heel down and landed it squarely on his crotch. All of a sudden, she felt herself being lifted by a pair of arms from behind her. Looking back, she recognized the nin holding her up as the guy's companion.

"Lookit here. You're not bad. It's a shame that you're with Konoha…" he smirked.

His companion, having recovered from Sakura's earlier blow, got up with an evil glint in his eyes.

"You know, you just killed my future kids. How the hell am I supposed to fuck people if you just kicked my baby-tool?"

She sweat-dropped. Suddenly, the nin began to inch closer to her. _Oh no…please, this cant be happening! My arms and legs won't budge! I cant attack him! I'm completely vulnerable! _

Suddenly, a brown blur came between her and the Sound nin.

"Get the hell away from her you bastard!"

"But Sas-"

"Shut up! Don't touch her."

Making sure that only the man can see his eyes and no one else, Sasuke activated his sharingan, causing the enemy to shrink away in fear.

"F-fine! Just be aware that our boss isn't gonna be happy."

"I don't care. Not till the signal, remember?"

The man ran away, leaving his friend behind. Sasuke-de-activated his sharingan and turned to Sakura and the Sound nin's companion. The other man dropped Sakura and ran away. (what a loser.) An awkward silence passed between the two.

"Um…Koji-kun?"

"hn?"

"…Th-thanks."

"hn."

They stood there. Silence. Sasuke began to walk away. Sakura, noticing this, began to protest, only to be interrupted by the Uchiha prodigy.

"I gotta go. It's late."

"O-oh. Yah. See you tomorrow, Koji-kun"

"hn." _Yah…tomorrow._

He knew that he couldn't tell her the truth, that he was Sasuke and that Sound was going to attack Konoha the following day, and it was tearing him apart.

_At the Hokage tower…_

Tsunade is in a state of panic. In her hand was a letter with news from a Konoha ninja that spotted a troop of Sound nins heading towards Konoha at an alarmingly fast pace.

"Tsunade-sama-

I was returning from a recent mission when my eyes witnessed the most horrendous sight ever. A group of at least 800 sound nins were heading strait for Konoha. They were most likely at chuunin level or higher."

Tsunade stared at the paper in her hand as she read it over and over again. She hadn't even chosen a successor yet! Beads of cold sweat rolled down her head.

"Shizune! Issue an alarm to all the residents! If Orochimaru is planning on another attack, then it's best that we are prepared!"

_What is he planning? _

Tsunade knew that something was defiantly wrong.

_If you are planning to attack Konoha, then why do you send a large group of ninjas? Shouldn't you send only a few at a time? Having them "march" here is way too obvious…unless you WANT us to know that you're coming…what is your game? _

Before long, the whole city was alerted. Sakura, being worried for her friend's safety began to look for Koji. Naruto, on the other hand, was excited.

"Time to kick some major Sound ass." He cracked his knuckles and rushed off to the front of the battle lines. _Teme…you'd beter show yourself. I'm gonna kick your ass so bad-you just watch. I'm gonna kill Orochimaru and I'm gonna beat you to a pulp. That's what brothers are for, bastard._

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_With Sakura…_

"Koji-kun! Where are you?" She sighed. Any minute now, she was going to be asked to stay behind and heal injured people. It's not that she didn't like being a medic nin, it's just that she'd rather be out there fighting. Besides, if she was up in the front of the battle lines, she might get a chance to catch a glimpse of _him_. She sighed. Koji was nowhere to be seen. She decided to head back to the healing area.

On her way back, she caught a glimpse of silver hair.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

The perverted jonin turned around.

"Sakura?"

The pink-haired kunoichi ran up to her teacher. After stopping a moment to catch her breath, she finally replied, "Good luck…and please stay alive…"

He grinned under his mask. He placed a hand on her head.

"Sure. I'll be fine."

She smiled and they both went their separate ways. Sakura to the healing area, and Kakashi to the front of the battle lines. On her way back, she encountered a bunch of "Konoha residents" All of a sudden, there was a strange sound, which happened to be the signal for the Sound spies. The "residents" tore off their Konoha headband to reveal another headband with the "Sound" insignia on it. Sakura gasped.

"Oh my-You're Sound spies!"

They smirked.

"Right you are."

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In another part of Konoha, Sasuke happened to also hear the signal. However, instead of removing the Konoha headband and replacing it with a Sound one, he kept everything on. He never wore a Sound headband, and he never will. Immediately, he began to attack some Konoha ninja. _Sakura…I'm sor-nevermind. _

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_With Naruto and Kakashi…_

"Where are you bastard!" Naruto was fighting against five other Sound ninjas. _Tch….this wont do…if I'm gonna find Sasuke-teme, then I'd better finish this quick._ After performing a series of hand seals, he called out, "Shadow Bunshin!" Instantly, four other Naruto clones popped up. Within minutes, the other Sound nins were dead. _Dang…I would have expected the Sound nin to be MUCH stronger than this…what was that bastard thinking? Leaving Konoha and going to such a weak country?_

Kakashi was also doing fine. He was using his sharingan and was quickly defeating his opponent.

All of a sudden, the opponent used a strange jutsu that even the copycat ninja didn't recognize. The nin moved around Kakashi at light speed, shooting needles at him. It was getting increasingly difficult for Kakashi to dodge the needles, and he had already been hit by ten of them. Suddenly, the nin froze in his tracks. Kakashi could see him clearly. Behind the nin was a long shadow.

"Tch. How troublesome. That troublesome woman said that I had to help you guys out."

Kakashi sweat-dropped. _Why send a lazy ass to the front of the battle line?_ Shikamaru, after inspecting the Sound ninja quickly realized that he, or rather, _she_ was a woman.

"How bothersome. Why am I always the one to fight girls? Kakashi, do you mind finishing her off?"

Sighing, Kakashi knocked the woman unconscious and dumped her into a nearby river, letting the current carry her away. Shikamaru, after seeing that the deed was done, stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked off somewhere else. Kakashi sighed once again and thought to himself, _lazier than ever. His country's in danger and he decides to walk off to who-knows-where_…

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Sakura finally defeated her opponents. Wiping the sweat off her huge forehead, she continued on her way. _That took long enough…they HAD to be at least chuunin. _Suddenly, she ran into Koji.

"ugh…Oh! Koji-kun! I've been looking all over for you!"

Sasuke looked at her. _Sorry Sakura…this is my mission._ Suddenly, he threw a bunch of shuriken at her. She was shocked, but she still managed to dodge the shuriken. She looked confused.

"Koji-kun?"

"I'm sorry, Sakura. I'm…one of them."

Hurt and betrayal were present in her face. Not again. She fell for another traitor.

"Koji-kun…you're lying."

He threw more shuriken at her. She dodged.

"Fight me."

She couldn't believe she was hearing this.

"Fight? You want me to fight you?"

"That's what I said. Fight."

"…no."

"what?"

"I said…no."

She stood her ground. She couldn't. She really didn't want to fight him. Frustrated, Sasuke punched her, only using a fraction of the strength that he was capable of dealing. Sakura got up. Why? Why was he doing this? Why was he attacking the only person that loved him? _Because you need the power to avenge your clan. Itachi murdered everyone that loved you…_except for her. If he were to kill her, then he would be just as bad as Itachi. He looked into her eyes. They were brimming with tears. Hurt and betrayal were both evident in them. Why? Why was he doing this? He activated his sharingan. Her eyes widened in horror.

"Your eyes…th-those are..no, they can't be…"

"Yes. They are sharingan."

"B-but, the sharingan only belongs to certain members of the Uchiha clan!"

"I know."

"Sas…Sasuke-kun?"

"…hn."

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ComeComeParadise Corner:

There. I updated because some ppl didn't want to wait that long. Now I need to get back to finishing my math homework.

So…Sasuke finally revealed himself to Sakura. What's gonna happen next? Anyways…Don't forget to REVIEW. Remember: NO FLAMES! Lol. Tune in next time to see how Sakura reacts!


	8. Chapter 8

Hi Ya'll! ComeComeParadise here…I just got back from tutoring. When I went to check my email, my eyes were all O.O OMFG! I seriously couldn't believe what I saw when I logged on to my account! After less than 10 chapters, I still cant believe that I have OVER 100 reviews! I friggin love you guys! Anyways, I also received some helpful advice that I'm gonna use. I still cant believe it. 104 reviews! I HEART YOU ALL! Anyways, here's the next chapter like most people requested…

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She couldn't believe it! After all this time, the man that she was falling in love with was Sasuke all along! She wanted to kick herself for not figuring it out sooner. She didn't know what to do-slap him or hug him right then and there.

"Sas…I can't believe it! You were here all this time? Wh-why didn't you tell me?"

He ignored her and started to perform hand seals. Her eyes widened in horror. He took in a deep breath and said, "Goukakyu no jutsu." Flames came spewing out of the man's mouth. Sakura jumped up and dodged the flames. Sasuke followed up with a punch delivered straight into Sakura's belly. She had the wind knocked out of her, but she still made no effort whatsoever to counter attack, much less defend herself.

Tears flowed freely down her face as she took blow after blow from Sasuke. Sasuke didn't get it. _Why is she doing this? Why isn't she even trying to defend herself? She's gonna get herself killed!_ He didn't want to kill her. It was the last thing he wanted to do. But he had to. He still remembered the pain and suffering he felt as a young child when he saw his loved ones die before his eyes. He wanted to kill that man because he took away all the love he ever received back then. _How about now?_ He silently cursed at his inner voice. He had long forgotten about his, "Inner Sasuke". Inner Sasuke was always right, and he hated it. _How about now? There IS still one other person that loves you…and Itachi hasn't taken her away yet…But you'd better hurry and save her…before YOU kill her first. _

Sasuke looked down at his hands. Blood. _Her_ blood. He was so caught up in the mission that he had been deaf to his inner self's protests. He looked down at her body. She picked herself up, and stood there, looking strong and determined. She was always headstrong. Even he couldn't change that about her. He looked at his other hand. In it was a kunai knife. He scowled. He was _that_ close to killing her. _That_ close. He involuntarily shuddered. He _hated_ himself at that moment. He _hated_ himself even _more_ than he hated Itachi. (if that were possible) Had he been so foolish as to come so close to killing the one and _only_ person that loved him? He hated Itachi because he killed everyone that loved him. Now he hated himself because he almost killed the one person that still loves him.

_Just like Itachi…_

"Sasuke-kun…go ahead. You can go ahead and kill me now if that's what you want to do. Go ahead and fight for Sound. Then you can get the power that you want." She stood there, arms outstretched.

"Sakura…don't be stupid."

"I'm serious. There's no point in living anyways. I fell in love with a blood-thirsty avenger. I'd rather die than let my heart get torn even further than it is now. If you kill me now, you can go ahead and kill everybody else. Then, Orochimaru will give you the power you need to defeat your brother. You will accomplish your goal that way. I'm happy as long as you are."

Sasuke's shoulders went limp. He dropped the kunai that he was holding in his hand earlier.

"Sakura…"

"Just do it Sasuke-kun! I cant take it anymore! Just kill me so that you can be happy! I love you so much that I'm willing to DIE even at your hand, as long as it makes you happy!"

Tears streaked down her face as she screamed out her words, her heart breaking with every word that she screamed. She was trembling as she turned to him with her blood-shot eyes. In a softer voice she continued,

"Sasuke-kun…just do it."

Sasuke's heart ached significantly. He was fighting the urge to slap himself right then and there. After a few moments of awkward silence, Sasuke could no longer bear the pain that he bore in his heart. He ran up to her. As she braced herself for the deathblow, she was surprised to find a strong pair of arms wrap around her.

"Sasu-"

"Sakura…you're so…stupid. You were my teammate. Didn't you know that my heart was breaking with every weapon and attack that I launched at you? How can you be so…_blind?_" _funny…he has a heart?_

"Me? Blind? I'm not the one that traded love and Konoha for power in Sound."

He let go of her and stared sternly into her jade eyes.

"Sakura…you and I both know that that bastard had power, and that I _need_ that power."

"What about love? Love can give you strength, too!"

"Love is useless. It makes you weak, and holds you back. One can never truly become a strong shinobi if love is constantly on their mind."

"Not necessarily…if you're fighting for _someone_ that you love, then it's a whole different story."

"How so?"

"I…fought for you…and everyday, I would train from dawn till dusk, hoping that one day, I will be strong enough to help bring you back to Konoha and save you from Orochimaru. He doesn't want to give you power! He only wants your body so that he can achieve immortality!"

"…"

"I didn't waste two years of my life pining over you, and just wishing that you'll magically come back and be happy living here. I trained, and I worked hard. I'm MUCH stronger now than I was before. I'm not weak anymore Sasuke-kun."

"Sakura…I know. We sparred against each other."

Sakura blushed. _Oh yeah…_

"Sakura…thank you. You…got better…and you improved considerably."

"Sasuke-kun…I still love you…"

Now it was his turn to blush. Her bluntness surprised him. He wasn't very good at expressing his feelings. He loved her too, but saying it and feeling it were two totally different things.

"Sakura…I…"

She giggled softly. She understood him. She knew what he was trying to say. Sakura gave Sasuke a hug, which he slowly returned.

"It's okay…I know."

He breathed a sigh of relief. But now that he and Sakura were on good terms, what was he going to do? Was he going to keep fighting with Sound? Or is he going to side with Konoha? Sakura felt the same way too. Both of them stood there, each taking in the other's warmth as a wave of uncertainty loomed over them.

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ComeComeParadise Corner:

Omigosh! I'm uber sorry for the ultra short chapter! This chapter is so short, and I'm sososososososososoSOOOOOOOO X a million sorrys! Hopefully you guys will forgive me on the next chapter which _should _be longer than this one…PLZ REVIEW! AND NO FLAMES! Please don't just write things like "update" or "OMG I hate u cuz this chapter was too short." I already said I'm sorry and that next chapter will…_should_ be longer. Sit tight!

In the next chapter: More Konoha vs. Sound war! PLUS Sasuke-teme, Sakura, and yes, even Shikamaru join in the fight. Shikamaru already did SOME fighting, but to be honest, I just wanted to see more Shikamaru "action" so I decided to force him into the next chapter, even though he told me that it would be too troublesome…

What's gonna happen to our fave lovebirds?


	9. Chapter 9

Yo! Chapter 9 already! I seriously cant believe that the story has come this far…I've been having MAJOR writer's block lately. Like, with the little "cliffies" at the end of each chapter, when I type questions like, "What'll happen next?" I'm always asking myself the same exact questions. As some of you may have noticed, I've been trying really hard to keep updating as soon as possible. Anyways….Chapter 9 is here:

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Meanwhile…

Naruto was starting to have trouble holding off the Sound ninjas. He was too distracted.

_Damnit! Where the hell are you teme? I'm gonna kick your ass as soon as I find you. You made Sakura sad and broke her heart. _

Still having quite a bit of chakra to spare in his reserves, he decided to finish off the Sound nin as fast as he possibly could. After performing a series of hand-seals, he shouted out, "Rasengan!" (spelling?) Immediately, the nin collapsed. Whistling softly to himself, Naruto checked for a pulse on the Sound ninja.

"Gone like the sucker you are."

Chuckling softly, Naruto ran off and continued his search for the teme. That other ninja _had_ to be at least chuunin. _The ninja are getting stronger as I go. I'm close._

"WATCH OUT STUPID!"

Shocked, Naruto turned around, only to find a ninja frozen in mid-air holding a kunai.

"Wh-what the hell?" he and the nin asked in unison.

"Tcheh. You're so troublesome. If you had been paying attention, you would have noticed that someone was sneaking up on you. You made me use up my precious energy."

Naruto sweat-dropped. _I got saved by a lazy-ass Nara?_

"Finish him off, Naruto."

With a quick swipe, Naruto killed the Sound nin.

"What's on your mind? Obviously, you're distracted."

"Why would you care?"

"You being distracted is making me do troublesome work. If it's something I can fix, I'll do it if it will let me rest in peace."

Sighing, Naruto answered.

"Sasuke-teme. He's here. I can _smell_ him."

The Nara sighed and waved his hand dismissively.

"You go ahead. I'll take care of the ninjas in this area."

"What? No genius plan or strategy to help me get to the bastard faster?"

"No. It's too troublesome. You're not worth the time and energy."

Resisting the urge to punch the lazy genius straight across the face, Naruto sighed and nodded then took off to find Sasuke.

After traveling about a quarter of a mile without any ninjas, a bunch of Sound ninjas jumped in front of Naruto.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm trying to find a certain bastard, so get outta my way!"

The Sound ninjas sneered. "You don't get it. We're jonin, far more superior to Konoha imbeciles like you." At that, they all charged towards Naruto.

Naruto smirked. "Sexy jutsu!" With an instant poof, he performed one of his signature techniques. Now, there was a beautiful nekkid blonde lady standing where an obnoxious loud-mouth once stood. In the sweetest, sugariest voice he could muster, he said,

"If you let me through, we can have a good time in bed tonight!"

All of the Sound nin around the area took one look at Naruto and choked. From a distance, anyone can see a HUGE fountain of blood coming from where Naruto was.

Kakashi and Jiraiya, both seeing this chuckled softly to themselves.

"He's coming along nicely." Kakashi said.

"If only I were there to watch." Jiraiya said.

However, Tsunade saw this also…

"Great job. Naruto must be killing a lot of ninjas. The more Sound nin blood the better, even if I cant stand blood, I'm glad that it belongs to our enemy." Iruka, who happened to be standing right next to the Hokage at the moment shook his head dismally. _She thinks that that blood is coming from dying Sound ninjas? She probably isn't very familiar with THAT technique. _

_Back with Naruto_…

"hahaha! Die pervs!" (a/n: nooooooooo!)

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_With Sasuke and Sakura…_

"Sakura…" he mumbled. The two of them let go of each other.

"What are we going to do?" for the first time in his life, Sasuke was uncertain, unsure of what to do.

"…Please…please stay here and fight with us."

"Itachi-"

"-Itachi is the least of our worries. What's most important now is beating Orochimaru and Sound. I _know_ that you don't like that bastard any more than I do."

"hn."

They took off. Sasuke is gonna fight with Konoha.

_Fight for the sake of someone you love, eh? I think I can do that._

"Tsunade isn't going to trust you at all, so you'd better work against Sound as one of them."

"hn."

He defiantly wasn't used to getting orders from Sakura. Her knowledge never ceased to amaze him, although he would never admit it. She knew what to do and carried out her orders with confidence. He slowed down and let her lead the way. He smiled, yes, THE UCHIHA SASUKE smiled! It felt strange at first. His "smiling muscles" haven't been used in a while. He wanted to let Sakura take the lead, so she could show him what she was fully capable of doing. He loved her, and she loved him, and that was all he needed to know. He continued to follow her as more thoughts entered his mind.

_How are we going to defeat Orochimaru? Is it even possible?_

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Shikamaru was fighting a Sound nin. The Sound nin was saying threats to Shikamaru while Shikamaru was lazily dodging the nin's shuriken and attacks.

"…and I'm gonna knee you there so that you can't fuck someone…"

_Jeez. How troublesome. This guy's all talk. It'd be too troublesome for him to knee me…THERE._

"Then your dog will hate you forever!...uh…then I'm gonna…."

_Tch. Son of a-I don't even hacve a dog!_

"Then-ugh…Hey lazy ass!"

O.O _what the-lazy ass? This guy doesn't even know me!_

"…huh?"

"Come on, genius! How could you not figure it out yet?"

_Omg…Ino?_ "Omigosh…Ino?"

"Hiya! I thought I'd posses this guy for a while. When I heard his say that he was gonna knee you…there, I thought I'd step in before things get…well…"

"What took you so long? There were about five threats after that one…it takes you only about five seconds to perform the seals for that jutsu."

"Well…I kinda enjoyed listening to some of his threats. They were rather amusing…."

"Troublesome woman."

"What?"

"…"

"Shikamaru, you'd better answer me!"

"Where's your body?"

"Chouji's taking care of it. Have you seen Koji-kun?"

"Cheh…so troublesome…"

"What-"

"What the-get out of the way, Ino!"

"Huh?"

As she turned around, she saw a lot of poisoned kunai heading straight towards her.

"Ah man! Kai! Release!"

Just as she left the Sound nin's body, the kunai hit the nin's body, barely missing her. Within minutes, Shikamaru saw a giant _ball_ rolling towards the poisoned Sound nin and his companion. Shikamaru teleported out of the area.

"It's on you Chouji!" (A/N: yes, in this fic, Chouji is still alive.)

_Don't screw up._

Immeiately, the Sound nin felt fear go down their spine. Nothing hurts more than being flattened by a fat guy rolling himself around...except maybe getting your…um…kicked, but let's not go there…

"Super-sonic air slice!" Seeing that the waves of air merely _bounced_ yes, BOUNCED off of the Akimichi, the nin began to scream for mercy. (I know, not Sound nin-like, but they ARE about to get flattened by a rather OBESE person)

The rolling hunk of blubber ignored their desperate cries, and within minutes, the entire Sound population in that area was flattened. One can walk on the ground there and not know that the "designs" on the ground were ninja that got flattened by a gigantic hunk of fat.

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_With Kakashi and Jiraiya…_

They were fighting _female_ Sound nins…

"Hey baby, why don't you ditch Sound and have a good time with me tonight? I need more inspirations for my books!"

"Yeah! You go, Jiraiya-_sama_!"

The female Sound nin blushed furiously and launched a barrage of attacks at Jiraiya.

"DIE PERV!" (a/n:noooooooooo!)

"You're very energetic! You can put that energy to good use in bed!"

Jiraiya charged straight at her, dodging all of her attacks.

"What color panties are you wearing today sexy?"

The woman ran away in fear. She knew about Jiraiya's books. Heck, _everyone_ knew about them. The last thing she wanted to do was to be in one of those _porn _books. Screw Orochimaru! The only thing on her mind was to get the hell away from the lecherous man. _Sick-minded…peverted…holy shit. Did he just grope me?_ The lady stopped running. She wanted to see the man dead. Jiraiya smirked. In less than a second, Jiraiya was behind her.

"It's okay. I'd rather grope your ass, anyways."

At that, he knocked out the shocked lady and dumped her down a river, letting the current carry the body away.

Kakashi was having an okay time fighting his "victim." However, although he enjoyed reading Jiraiya's books, he isn't _quite _as "open" about his inner-perv.

Using his sharingan, he quickly defeated the young shinobi.

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ComeComeParadise Corner:

Heys! Like I promised, this chapter IS longer than the previous one. Konoha is easily defeating the Sound ninja. However, how will things turn our when Orochimaru steps into the picture? I SERIOUSLY NEED HELP CUZ I DON'T KNOW ANY OF OROCHIMARU'S ATTACKS! OH-EM-GEE! Lols. The "hokage plot" is put on hold pretty much because they are fighting, and Tsunade needs to concentrate on defending Konoha. Stay tuned! PLZ REVIEW AND NO FLAMES!


	10. Chapter 10

Hello people! ComeComeParadise here! I am sosososoSOOO thankful for all the feedback and reviews that I have received! Yes, I know that the other chapter was kind of….wierd, but I seriously tried! In my opinion, the humor came out sounding…forced, and I apologize. Well, not much humor in this chapter, but it IS longer so I guess that that's what really matters. (Other than the quality of course!)

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Tsunade was having a hard time in the back of the battle lines. When her protégé finally showed up, she was relieved.

"Sakura! Hurry up and get over here! There are many wounded ninjas and we need you to heal them!"

Sakura quickly obeyed her commands. Right away, she went over to a severely wounded man and started to heal him. He was bloody all over. There were gashes and wounds everywhere on his body. As she continued to heal the man, she couldn't help but notice how bad his injuries were. She immediately began worrying about Naruto, Kakashi, and all of her other friends. If this man was so badly wounded, then how were they holding up? Upon closer inspection, she realized that the man had to be at least twenty-three years old. A man that age was in his prime. After healing the man, she moved over to help her next "patient". There were many injured and half-dead Konoha ninja that needed healing. As she continued to heal the ninja, she began to anxiously wonder if her next patient would be one of her friends.

Of all the people that Sakura had healed, all of them were fatally injured and or wounded. She silently whispered a prayer as she hoped that her friends-and Sasuke would be safe.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Tsunade's authorative voice pierced through the sounds of the ninja around them.

"The Sound nin seem to be a lot stronger than we had anticipated. We need more assistance!"

"B-but, we already have more than half of the Konoha ninja population attacking Sound and defending Konoha! We barely have enough medic-nins, and we can't afford to send any more ninjas up to the front line!" Shizune said.

Sakura couldn't help but gasp. Was Sound really that strong? Just a while ago, when she fought some Sound ninjas, she couldn't help but think that they were pretty weak. Why were they so strong all of a sudden? Did Sasuke decide to stick with Sound after all? What was going on? Suddenly, she came up with an idea.

"Tsunade-sama! We can ask the Kazekage for help! I'm sure that we can trust him this time, and I know that they will be of great assistance. They are very strong, and we get along pretty well!"

Tsunade considered for a moment. _We need help NOW. Those desert-kids will be coming from Sunagakure! _After letting out a sigh, she finally replied,

"I suppose that some help would be better than no help at all…but we need them to come ASAP. Shizune! Send a message to the Kazekage that Konoha needs Suna's assistance! Tell them to arrive as soon as possible!"

Shizune nodded and ran off. Any minute now, Sunagakure would be involved in a war with Konoha against Sound.

Sakura felt some of her feelings of worry lift. _Gaara…Temari…Kankuro…please help us…_

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_Meanwhile, Naruto is looking for Sasuke…_

"BASTARD! Where the hell are you?"

He was running around looking for our favorite raven-haired avenger. Immediately, he was stopped by a giant snake.

"Holy shit!" _holy shit! That's the snake from the chuunin exams that almost ate me!_

As if it were reading his mind, the snake dove at Naruto and swallowed him whole.

_Ugh…damn! Not again!_

Just like in the exams, Naruto used his shadow-bunshin jutsu and made the snake vomit him out and explode. (this is my fic, so the snake explodes! BOOM!)

"EEEEEEEEWWWWW!" he quickly and roughly brushed the snake's vomit off of his clothes. For the first time in who knows how long, Naruto analyzed the situation. (It's the apocalypse! Nooooo!)

_Wait just a sec. The last time that snake was here, Orochimaru-teme was here, too! That snake was just here, so that means that he must be here too! Who's he gonna brainwash and molest this time? Hopefully Neji since he has long hair and looks more like a girl…_

(a/n: well….at least he got some of his conclusion right…)

He finally snapped out of his thoughts. When he returned to reality, he found a dozen shuriken flying towards him. He quickly dodged them.

"Show yourself whoever you are!"

He heard a slight chuckle. The chuckle soon turned into laughter, and the laughter grew louder as the enemy drew near him. Naruto couldn't help but feel shivers go down his spine upon hearing the laughter. It made the hair on the back of his neck stand up, and it made him tremble. He felt a massive chakra approaching. When he finally saw his enemy, his eyes grew large.

"Wh-what the hell! You!"

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After several hours of non-stop healing, Sakura couldn't take it anymore. She was too worried about her teammates and Sasuke. She wasn't sure if they were alive. She ran up to Tsunade.

"Tsunade-sama! I want to go out there and fight! Shizune and Hinata are fine now, and there aren't many people left that need healing. Please! Let me go out there and help!"

"Sakura…we need you here in case more people come back injured. Your role in helping is staying here to heal people."

"B-but"

Tsunade silenced her student. "I know that you are really worried about your teammates…..and about _him_."

"…I am…"

"Kakashi, Naruto, Shikamaru and the others are fine. They are the best of Konoha and I have nothing but faith for them. As for _him_, he's not even alive!"

"He IS!"

Tsunade gasped. Her eyes narrowed as she spoke to her student in a more serious tone.

"Alive? Uchiha Sasuke is ALIVE?"

Sakura gulped as inner-Sakura shouted at her. _I-I cant believe I just said that! Now what do I do? How is she going to react?_

Tsunade, seeing that she wasn't going to get a response from Sakura silently began thinking to herself. _I wonder…is he really alive? Is it even possible after all this time? Is he is, then he's got some nerve, showing up again in a situation like this._

"Sakura…how do you know that he is alive? Are you sure?"

Sakura bit her tongue. She knew that that question was coming. After a moment of thought, she replied,

"He IS alive. I can feel it in my heart."

With that said, Sakura felt a feeling of relief, as if her teammates themselves walked up to her and told her. As for Sasuke, she _knew_ that he was alive. He was a part of her heart. If he were to die all of a sudden, she would feel it.

Tsunade sighed a sigh of exhaustion. Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Gaara, Kankuro, Temari, and other Sand ninjas. Immediately, Sakura's mood lifted.

"Gaara! Temari! Kankuro! You guys made it!"

Gaara merely nodded. Temari spoke on behalf of them all.

"We got here as soon as we could. We wanted to help you guys out as much as we can."

Almost immediately after Temari finished speaking, Gaara signaled for the Sand ninjas to take off and help with the fighting. After making sure that all Sand ninjas were fighting and doing their jobs, Tsunade sent a message to all the Konoha ninjas informing them that Sand was there to help. Temari took a look at Sakura. She noticed that Sakura wasn't crying or even torn up in the least.

"Sakura. You seem to be doing fine. Are you finally over that Uchiha boy?"

Sakura smiled. _Same old Temari…_

"No…I never will be."

"Oh?"

"He's here right now, and I'm glad that he's safe."

Temari decided not to question Sakura any further. She was here to help Konoha fight. It was time that she got going. After muttering a quick "later", she took off, leaving a content Sakura behind.

Tsunade walked up to her pupil and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"You can go fight if you want, but be careful and stay alive. I don't want my favorite student to die."

After winking at her, she lightly shoved Sakura off. Sakura smiled and gave Tsunade a quick hug before taking off.

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_Back with Naruto…_

"Wh-what the hell! You!"

His enemy smiled a sinister smile.

"Orochimaru! You bastard! What the hell are you doing here in Konoha? Go back to hell where you belong!"

"My my…..you really _are_ a loud-mouth knucklehead…just like Jiraiya."

"Go to hell!"

At that, Naruto charged head on at Orochimaru. _You made Sasuke-teme leave Konoha! You took away my BROTHER! Now, I'm gonna make you PAY!_

"Shadow-bunshin!"

At that, twenty-five Naruto clones popped up out of nowhere.

"Hmmmm…that forbidden technique…what a fool."

Orochimaru dodged using his insane speed and landed behind the "mob" of Narutos. The bunshins and Naruto turned around looking very pissed. They all began to charge at Orochimaru once more. All at once, they all performed the same hand seals simultaneously.

"RASENGAN!" they cried. All at once, Orochimaru was hit by twenty-five resengans. He was bleeding profusely. He smiled.

"Did you think that it would be THAT easy to beat me?"

Naruto began to growl.

"Even Sasuke can do better than that."

"Sasuke! That teme!"

"Wouldn't you like to know…"

"Shut up you bastard! I don't want to hear about Sasuke from the likes of you!"

"That's too bad, considering that he was here in Konoha all this time!"

Naruto's eyes widened.

"What the hell? He wasn't here!"

"Of course he didn't _look_ like Sasuke. I would never send a _Sound ninja_ to Konoha without a disguise. I'm surprised that you didn't figure it out. Your own comrade. You were unable to distinguish him from the other Konoha ninjas?"

"N-no…"

After thinking for a bit, the realization dawned upon him. _Koji-teme…could he have been Sasuke-teme this whole time?_

"Damn it!"

Naruto charged towards Orochimaru. Summoning kyuubi's powers, he began to do a series of punches and kicks.

"Art of the shadow-bunshin!"

Fifty Naruto clones popped up.

"Uzumaki Naruto Rendan!"

Four of the Naruto bunshins kicked Orochimaru up into the air. As Orochimaru slowly rose, Naruto himself jumped up above him and punched Orochimaru down into the ground. As the other bunshins and Naruto ran up to him to finish things off, Naruto stopped. Orochimaru was laying there _laughing_.

"Stupid, worthless fool. It would take a lot more than an elementary technique like that to defeat me."

At that, Orochimaru disappeared with a poof. Naruto's eyes widened in horror as he quickly realized that he had spent the last forty-five minutes fighting an Orochimaru shadow-bunshin. _What. The. Hell? That bastard can do that too? _

"SHIT!"

"_That's too bad, considering that he was here in Konoha all this time." _

Orochimaru's voice echoed within his mind. His voice lowered into a growl.

"Koji…Sasuke…I'm gonna KICK. YOUR. ASS!"

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ComeComeParadise Corner:

Yipee! I'm uber sorry about the late update! I'm sure that none of you out there really care WHY it took so long for the update, but I'm gonna tell you people anyways. I had MAJOR writers block, and I was running dangerously low on ideas. It also didn't help that I had school and that my teachers all hate me and gave me a LOAD of homework…I mean, who cares about history? IT ALREADY HAPPENED! So honestly, who gives a shit? Who cares about the nation's past when we are already living in the present? I seriously think that history was invented by people that needed a job. Weeelll, enough ranting…for now. Hokage plot is temporarily put on hold. Don't ask why. I hope that you guys and girls enjoyed this chapter, cuz I busted my ass to write it. Don't expect an update till next week. I'm getting out for winter vacation on the 16th, so there's gonna be a TON of homework from the teachers. I'll try to update over vacation…If my stupid cousin would let me…anyways….I LOVE YOU ALL! KEEP THE REVIEWS COMING! NO FLAMES! MUAH! I KISS YOU ALL!


	11. REUNION!

Hey! Uber sorry about the late update…it looks like my inner-Shikamaru has FINALLY struck! Well, Im gonna try to update as much as I possibly can before the 22nd. MY relatives are coming over, so things have been pretty hectic lately. Well, I'm guessing that you're here to read the story, not to read my incessant rambling. So…..here's the story!

Icha Icha ParadiseIcha Icha ParadiseIcha Icha ParadiseIcha Icha ParadiseIcha Icha ParadiseIcha Icha ParadiseIcha Icha Paradise

_The story picks up with Naruto…_

"GRRRRRR! You Bastard! You have some nerve to show up disguised! I'm gonna make you paaaaayyyy!"

Our favorite loudmouth ninja is now chasing after Sasuke, or at least he plans to…

_How could I have not figured it out? UURRRRGGGHHH! _

Naruto clenched his fists. He felt A LOT stupider than he usually did, and that, in itself was quite a big deal.

_That bastard…I've known him for at least a year! How could I have NOT recognized his cold-ass attitude? DAMN! _

Naruto continued running. He began to slow down a bit when he saw a brown blob strait ahead.

_Koji! Wait no, Sasuke, no, it's Koji, no…UUURRRRGGGG! Now he's got me confused! _

Naruto yelled in frustration. Thinking wasn't exactly the thing he was best at. He would normally leave the thinking to Sakura and Kakashi.

Meanwhile, Sasuke noticed a familiar blonde blob approaching him. Although he recognized the familiar chakra, he wasn't fully convinced that the blob was Naruto.

_It may be a trap…Be careful Uchiha._

It wasn't until he heard an irritated-sounding yell coming from the blob that he was positive that the blob HAD to be Naruto.

_You'd think that someone like him would slow down as he got older…but instead, now, he's louder than ever…_

He winced at the thought. Suddenly, he noticed the blob approaching him quickly.

"BASTAAAARRDDD!"

_What the…hell?_

Noticing that the Naruto was approaching quickly and charging strait at him, Sasuke side-stepped, and Naruto crashed head on into a trash can that was conveniently located right next to the now smirking Uchiha.

"Oooh, clumsy…but then again, I wouldn't expect any more from a _dobe_."

Sasuke smirked. He _knew_ how to get under Naruto's skin, and never got tired of seeing Naruto's usual reaction to his words. Naruto jumped back up forgetting to brush away the trash that was on him. Pointing an accusing finger at Sasuke, he cried,

"You teme! You have SOME NERVE to show up again after what you did to this village!"

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow. What the hell was that dobe talking about?

"You made Sakura-chan cry…and you broke her heart! Now, IM GONNA KICK YOUR ASS!"

At that, Naruto flung a fist at Sasuke. Sasuke dodged the blow effortlessly.

"Whoah."

Between punched and kicks, Naruto yelled.

"And-punch-you-kick-decide to-kick, kick-come back-punch, punch- wearing-kick-a disguise!"

Sasuke merely dodged all of Naruto's blows. _The dobe found out…took long enough…_Naruto tried to punch Sasuke's face. Sasuke caught Naruto's hand and held it in place while Naruto attempted another punch. Sasuke caught that punch also, and flipped Naruto over onto his belly before Naruto could attempt any kicks.

"Naruto…listen…"

Naruto continued to struggle.

"LET GO OF ME! LET GO! LET GO! LET GO!"

Sasuke could feel his blood boil. He was starting to lose his patience. Again he tried,

"Naruto…listen up you dobe…"

Naruto was deaf to his words and continued struggling to get free.

"SEXUAL HARASSMENT! SOMEONE GET THIS HOMOSEXUAL OFF OF ME!"

Through clenched teeth, Sasuke was trying to hold on to the little amount of patience he had left. The last thing he wanted to do was make a scene…and having Naruto around pretty much made that impossible to achieve.

"I **SAID**…"

"YOU TEME! GO RAPE SOME OTHER GUY! GO RAPE NEJI! HE LOOKS MORE LIKE A GIRL THAN YOU DO! HEEEEEELLLPP! KAMI-SAMA! I'M GONNA GET RAPED BY **A MAN!**"

Sasuke snapped…Sasuke style. He needed to shut the dobe up before anyone found them. He needed to explain the situation to Naruto clearly before he jumped to further conclusions. Doing the first thing that came to mind, Sasuke grabbed a giant shuriken and shoved it up Naruto's ass.

"AAAAAHHHH!"

Within minutes, the blonde dobe finally settled down.

"YOU BASTARD! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!"

Sasuke, maintaining his calm composure replied coolly,

"It worked when Kakashi used it on you."

Naruto began grumbling while he rubbed his ass.

"The only person that's allowed to do something like that to me is MY Sakura-chan!"

Feeling a blush creep up his cheeks, Sasuke punched Naruto hard in the face.

"She is NOT your Sakura-chan." _She's mine, damnit!_

Naruto rubbed his head.

"Ow…what the hell was that for?"

Sasuke didn't answer.

"Oh, and one other thing."

"Huh? What?"

"I am NOT gay."

"Hmph! Whatever!"

A moment of silence passed between the two of them. Finally, Naruto decided to break the silence when he remembered why he tried to find Sasuke in the first place.

"Uh…Sasuke? Or is it Koji?"

"…Sasuke."

"…Why…why did you decide to show up again? And why did you not tell any of us who you were?"

"…"

"HEY TEME! ARE YOU DEAF? I SAID-"

"-Yeah. I know what you said."

After some thought, Sasuke finally replied.

"…I was on a mission for Sound. I was here to do spy work."

"Oh…then you really ARE a traitor. YOU'RE LUCKY I DIDN'T KICK YOUR ASS LKE I PROMISED!"

"…"

"Sasuke? ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?"

"I…I don't want to stick with Sound anymore."

He couldn't help but think back to his earlier conversation with Sakura.

_She needs me…and I need to protect her. If I were to help kill the people of Konoha, then I'd be just as bad, if not, EVEN WORSE than Itachi. I was her everything. I'm not going to TAKE everything._ (A/n: Get it? Like the episode title:The brother who was everything, the brother that took everything?)

Sasuke half-smiled. Naruto, actually noticing this didn't quite believe that he was really Sasuke. _Sasuke-teme NEVER smiles unless he is fighting. This…THIS CANT BE HIM!_

Naruto punched Sasuke in the face, catching him completely off-guard.

"You…YOU ARENT SASUKE!"

"What the hell…OF COURSE I AM!"

"THAT TEME NEVER SMILES! WHAT IS WITH YOU? DO I LOOK STUPID?"

"Yes."

"FUCK YOU!"

With that, Naruto began to attack Sasuke. Sasuke could only fight back to defend himself.

"YOU'RE OROCHIMARU ARENT YOU? YOU ALREADY TOOK OVER SASUKE'S BODY!"

"I already told you! I AM Sasuke!"

Meanwhile, Sakura happened to be searching for her teammates and Sasuke. All of a sudden, she saw two guys fighting. Quickly, she ran over to the people, unsure of who they were. After noticing that one of them had sharingan activated, she immediately knew who they were.

As Naruto got down on his hands and knee, he swung his leg around in an attempt to knock Sasuke off of his feet. At the same time, Sasuke was preparing his kick. Immediately, Sakura used chakra to get to them as fast as she could. She planted herself between both of their kicks and blocked them simultaneously. (A/n: like what Lee did to Sasuke and the proctor during the chuunin exams)

Sasuke and Naruto, both being shocked by the sudden intervention, stopped fighting immediately. Sasuke looked at Sakura curiously.

"S-stop. Please. Please stop fighting you guys!"

Naruto looked shocked. He seemed to have lost his voice and he merely nodded.

"Sakura…you can do that too?"

She smiled.

"Yes Sasuke-kun, I can. Courtesy of Lee-san!"

Sasuke involuntarily twitched. HE had forgotten all about fuzzy brows, but what really got to him was the fact that Lee and Sakura must have spent time _together_ and _alone_ in order for Sakura to learn and be able to do something like that. Sasuke wasn't used to feeling jealous. It's been too long since he felt that way.

"…hn."

Naruto finally found his voice.

"SAKURA-CHAN! THIS ISNT SASUKE!"

Sakura looked at Naruto curiously.

"Of course it is, Naruto. I KNOW he is."

Before Naruto could say another word, they're little "reunion" was interrupted by the unexpected arrival of Kakashi and Jiraiya. Sasuke immediately de-activated his sharingan.

"Well, well. I guess this is a little Team 7 reunion. Why wasn't I invited…_Sasuke_?"

Sasuke flinched. He didn't know how or what to respond. How would Kakashi react? How would Jiraiya react?

"Kakashi-sensei…Sasuke's on our side now."

"Yeah! The teme's back!"

Kakashi looked serious, and Jiraiya didn't seem too convinced, either.

"Sakura…Naruto…How can you be so sure? You cant be so quick to trust people."

Sasuke hung his head. Kakashi and Jiraiya looked at eachother uncertainly. Finally, after a moment of silence, Kakashi spoke.

"Very well. Welcome back."

Although Kakashi and Jiraiya didn't fully trust Sasuke at the moment, they knew that his strength would be greatly needed at the moment against Sound. To drive him away would be foolish.

Kakashi and Jiraiya both turned their backs at the trio.

"You kids better hurry. Follow us. Orochimaru is somewhere here, and we're gonna take him down together."

"Jiraiya's right. Orochimaru is very powerful. We need Konoha's strongest ninja to come with us. Sakura-go get Tsunade."

"B-but we need her to heal to ninjas! And Naruto and I were supposed to help defend and prevent any Sound nin from going further into the village!"

"I know that. But the Sound nin are nothing without their boss! If we take down their leader, then they are about as harmful as a bunch of squirrels. Now hurry up! We gotta move fast if we ever hope to catch up with Orochimaru!"

The three of them nodded. Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi, and Jiraiya all took off to find Orochimaru as Sakura took off to get Tsunade. Konoha's finest hope and two of the legendary sannins were going after Orochimaru.

Icha Icha ParadiseIcha Icha ParadiseIcha Icha ParadiseIcha Icha ParadiseIcha Icha ParadiseIcha Icha ParadiseIcha Icha Paradise

ComeComeParadise Corner:

Wow! This took me like, two hours to write cuz I was thinking of ideas as I went! Well, I'm sorry if I sounded bishie in my last ending note thing, but for me, everything has a reason. My reason for sounding like a bishie was cuz of one thing: PMS. It's sad, but true. But anyways…PLZ REMEMBER TO REVIEW AND NO FLAMES!

I'm really happy because I got a notebook with a picture of a chibi Kakashi on it reading ComeComeParadise with sharingan activated! It was uberly awesome, and only costed about four US dollars! But then, I didn't want to stop at just one thing, so I went ahead and bought a marble piece with a GORGEOUS picture of Sasuke on it with the moon and a shadow of Itachi in the background. Then, I decided that I wanted ONE MORE thing, so I looked around and bought the original Naruto soundtrack from the second movie, even though I never saw it. It was…okay, but yah. My entire purchase costed at around twenty US bucks, but I still think that it was well worth it! I'm still happy about the fact that Sakura gives Sasuke a knee-lap at the end of one of the movies cuz the couples in Japan do that! (shrieks like a fangirl) well, anyways, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! And remember REVIEW AND NO FLAMES, kids!


	12. Chapter 12

Hi everyone! ComeComeParadise here with yet another chapter of the story. This chapter brings us one chapter closer to the end of this story. I can hardly believe that it's almost over!

_Where we left off…_

Kakashi and Jiraiya both turned their backs at the trio.

"You kids better hurry. Follow us. Orochimaru is somewhere here, and we're gonna take him down together."

"Jiraiya's right. Orochimaru is very powerful. We need Konoha's strongest ninja to come with us. Sakura-go get Tsunade."

"B-but we need her to heal to ninjas! And Naruto and I were supposed to help defend and prevent any Sound nin from going further into the village!"

"I know that. But the Sound nin are nothing without their boss! If we take down their leader, then they are about as harmful as a bunch of squirrels. Now hurry up! We gotta move fast if we ever hope to catch up with Orochimaru!"

The three of them nodded. Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi, and Jiraiya all took off to find Orochimaru as Sakura took off to get Tsunade. Konoha's finest hope and two of the legendary sannins were going after Orochimaru.

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"TSUNADE-SAMA! TSUNADEEEEEEEE!"

The beautiful young kunoichi ran frantically around the medical healing area desperately trying to find her mentor. _Damn! Where is she? _She couldn't help but let out a sigh of grief and exhaustion. _There is a psychopath loose in your country and you're nowhere to be found when the strongest ninja of Konoha need you!_ As much as she respected her teacher, she sometimes wondered why Jiraiya declined the position of Hokage and chose Tsunade to be the next Hokage instead…not that she'd _rather_ have things go that way…it was just that despite training with her for more than two years, Sakura still found herself struggling to understand Tsunade. The young cherry blossom let out yet another sigh and continued to search for Tsunade. She couldn't afford to waste her time sulking and thinking of her teacher when she was nowhere to be found. Not while Orochimaru was running around loose. Sasuke, Naruto, Kakashi, and even Jiraiya needed them. They were counting on her and ever since she vowed to become stronger, she swore to herself that she would NEVER let her comrades down.

Sakura snapped out of her thoughts and was brought back to reality when she bumped into something…BIG. Muttering a string of curses while rubbing her injured bum, she was surprised to see a hand extended to her. Looking up wide-eyed, she couldn't help but smirk.

_Speak of the devil…_

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Sasuke, Naruto, Kakashi, and Jiraiya were searching for Orochimaru, following and relying heavily upon Jiraiya's "gut-feeling."

"Stay close. The last thing we want to happen is to be separated."

Naruto hardly, if ever, saw Jiraiya so serious. He couldn't help but doubt the teacher's serious-ness.

"Yo, ero-sennin. Why the sudden change in attitude?"

Instead of a response, Naruto got three bumps on his head; courtesy of Sasuke, Kakashi, and Jiraiya. (the bump Sasuke gave him was the largest.)

"Dobe. Who do you think we're dealing with?"

"WELL DUH! THIS IS JIRAIYA WE'RE TALKING ABOUT! YOU KNOW, RESIDENT PERV OF KONOHA VILLAGE!"

Naruto earned yet ANOTHER bump on the head from Kakashi. Kakashi glared at Naruto. Naruto, not used to seeing even Kakashi this way quieted down immediately. Sighing, Kakashi placed a hand on Naruto's head.

"Naruto, you're no longer the twelve-year-old that you once were. Please keep in mind that in times like these, you can't be talking carelessly and loudly like you used to. We're dealing with an S-classed criminal here, so please keep that in mind."

Naruto looked down. He was sick of following Jiraiya's "gut-feeling." He wanted to kill the bastard that made his friend leave Konoha. He wanted to kick some major ass right then and there!

"Ero-"

"-Shh! He's coming. Everyone. Get ready!"

Naruto's initial upset-ness was quickly forgotten at the mention of Orochimaru's name. Looking beside him, he noticed that Sasuke was trembling. In an instant, as if he had read Naruto's mind, Sasuke replied,

"I'm trembling with excitement, dobe."

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_Back with Sakura…_

_Speak of the devil…_

"Tsunade-sama! I've been looking all over for you!"

The kunoichi's teacher cocked a brow at her student.

"Sakura? What do you mean 'I've been looking all over for you'? I thought that you were supposed to be defending Konoha! What are you doing running around like this?"

"Tsunade-sama, I'm afraid that I have something far more important to do than that. Sasuke-kun, Kakashi, Naruto, and Jiraiya have already gone. Our plan is going to require BOTH your skills and mine."

"What are you-wait, Sasuke? What is that traitor doing on our side?"

"Nevermind that. He's on our side now, and that's all that really matters. They have all gone after Orochimaru, and have sent me to get you. Jiraiya is leading them, and we NEED your help!"

Tsunade sighed in defeat. Whenever it came to Sasuke, she knew that she could never win when it was Sakura she was talking to. Deciding not to question her student any further, Tsunade decided to go along and follow Sakura. Besides, Tsunade knew that Sakura was going to lead her to Sasuke. If for any reason Sasuke decides to harm any Konoha ninja, she'd be there to deal with him.

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Naruto could've sworn that he could hear his heart beat. Whether it was from fear or sheer anticipation, he did not know. As he braced himself for Orochimaru's arrival, he watched and saw Sasuke activate his sharingan.

"Huh? Sharingan already? You shouldn't be squandering your chakra like that!"

"Don't you think that I already know that? It's for just in case this guy is a bunshin. Wouldn't want Konoha's dunce to waste all his chakra again like he did with his previous encounter, now would we?"

"How did you?"

Sasuke smirked.

"Kakashi told me. Don't ask how he knew, he just did."

Naruto sighed a sigh of defeat. Although he hated to admit it, he really _missed_ fighting with Sasuke on his side. It was truly beginning to feel like Team 7 once again.

As the four guys watched, anxiously awaiting the arrival of Orochimaru, they all couldn't help but feel a wave of nausea as they saw a dark shadow slowly approach. Instantly, all four of them had an image of their deaths. They all broke out in cold sweat.

"Well, well…It's been a while Jiraiya, ne?"

Jiraiya growled and swore under his breath. As Orochimaru scanned the area, his eyes landed right where the four of them were hiding. His snake-like eyes widened with both shock and amusement when he noticed Sasuke's presence.

"Hmmmmm…what a surprise, _Sasuke_. Although I can't say that I'm shocked to see you here, I _am_ a little _hurt_."

The Uchiha darkened his look and glared a thousand needles at Orochimaru.

"Go to hell."

Orochimaru's eye's widened once again. He couldn't, however, help but let out a soft chuckle. Walking up to the young prodigy, he looked Sasuke strait in the eye.

"Hehehe…I wonder what brought about such a _change_ in you, _Sasuke-kun_. Why, just a few months ago, you were SUCH an obedient little servant. _What happened?_"

Seeing that he wasn't going to get an answer, he continued.

"Did you decide that you weren't gonna kill your brother after all?"

Those last words triggered a switch in Sasuke. Before he knew it, Sasuke had punched Orochimaru 500m away from them. Kakashi, Jiraiya, and yes, even NARUTO were all : O.O;

"I'm gonna kill my brother, don't worry, I'll get that done, but not until I kill you FIRST."

Upon hearing those words, Kakashi and Jiraiya both thought:

_He must really be on Konoha's side…either that or he's a REALLY good actor._

Getting up from the ground and wiping the blood off of his face, Orochimaru smiled a sinister smile at Sasuke.

"Sasuke, you poor, misguided boy. Too bad you decided to join the enemy…To think that I actually started to _trust_ you."

"Tch. Trust my ASS bastard."

Licking the blood off of his hands, Orochimaru smiled.

"If it's power you want, then you might as well forget about it, cuzstaying and fighting with Konoha isn't gonna get you any!"

At that, he charged straight at Sasuke. He knew that he couldn't kill Sasuke…unless he wanted to have the body of a dead Uchiha…fighting Sasuke is gonna be tough for Orochimaru.

As Orochmaru charged, Sasuke prepared to punch. As his fist moved closer and closer to Orochimaru, Sasuke, with his sharingan on, quickly realized that Orochimaru had just replaced himself with a nearby log.

"One of the three legendary sannin using an elementary technique like the replacement jutsu? What a major disappointment!"

Sasuke, being surprised at the sudden voice turned to look at Naruto and smirked. _That dobe took the words right out of my mouth._ However, right as Naruto said that, Orochimaru reappeared behind Naruto. Before Naruto could turn to defend himself, a yellow blur sped by and launched a powerful punch at Orochimaru…which only grazed his cheek because he dodged most of the punch. Using his insane speed and other snake-like qualities, Orochimaru slithered on the ground and wove himself around Tsunade.

"Well, well, Tsunade. I didn't expect the Hokage to come running to the one that will kill her!"

Tsunade gasped in shock. Before Naruto OR Sasuke could move, Five kunai that were either poisoned or had a letter bomb attatched flew straight at Orochimaru. Quickly unraveling and letting go of Tsunade, Orochimaru managed to dodge most of them. (Tsunade escaped too, of course. Can't have the Hokage get hurt so early in that battle now can we?) As he moved away from the kunai, he noticed that one of them had snagged onto his clothing. Quickly realizing that it had a bomb attached to it, he ripped the kunai off of his clothing and flung it away. Sasuke, Naruto, Kakashi, Jiraiya, and Tsunade turned to see who threw the kunai at Orochimaru and were pleasantly surprised to see that it was none other than Sakura. Sasuke smirked, Kakashi grinned, Tsunade grinned, Jiraiya was all, "huh?" and Naruto was all O.O after blinking a couple of times, Naruto was all, "HELL YEAH! YOU GO, SAKURA! THAT'S MY GIRL!" After getting a quick bonk in the head by Sakura, and surprisingly, Sasuke, Naruto looked at them questioningly. "I AM (SHE IS) NOT YOUR GIRL! (.)" Kakashi grinned even more. _So that's why he's on our side now. Go figure._

Their little "reunion" was broken up by the arrival of Orochimaru, strangely, without any sign of injury.

"heh. You fools. What made you think that I'd be _that_ easy to defeat, and by a little girl, no less!"

Sakura felt a vain pop and growled. Naruto could've _sworn_ that he felt the Earth tremble. Orochimaru is DEAD.

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ComeComeParadise corner:

Hi Y'all! Happy New Year! I thought I'd write this chapter today for you guys, even though my initial plan was to write it on Christmas…(relatives-gotta luv'em.) With the holidays here, it's hard to get things done…especially if you have nagging relatives staying over at your house…well, I hope you guys liked this chapter. I got a lot of really sweet and thoughtful reviews, and I seriously couldn't thank you guys ENOUGH! Well, Christmas was good though…for me…I got the Naruto movie on DVD with English subtitles! (I seriously need to learn Japanese…) Well, more school for me pretty soon. Surprisingly, I update faster when there's school…Ohs well, I figured that it's quality, and not quantity, that really matters…actually BOTH matter, so I'll try to make a decent fight scene in the next chapter! Anyone know what Orochimaru's jutsus/attacks are?

**IMPORTANT!**

Should there be Naruhina in this story as well? If there are going to be any other pairings in this story, then I might make only one or two more…but it'd be…not as romantic and detailed. So anyways…let me know what you think! Should there be Naruhina? And If you'd like, let me know one other pairing that you would like to see. Just keep in mind that it may not happen.

So everyone…**PLZ REMEMBER TO REVIEW! NO FLAMES! ONLY CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM!**


	13. Death of the Sannin

ComeComeParadise: Hi everyone! Chapter 13 is UP! YA-HA!

Results so far:

NaruHina: 3 votes

NejiTen: 1 vote

ShikaIno: 1 vote

ShikaTem: 1 vote

Don't want any other pairings: 1

Don't see your favorite couple? Your favorite couple doesn't have as many votes as you'd like? Well, then KEEP ON VOTING DANGETT!

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Naruto began trembling in fear. He knew first hand, how strong and dangerous Sakura can get when she becomes mad enough. The fact that she had a short temper also didn't help much. As for Sasuke, he wasn't quite sure how to feel. The fact that Naruto was trembling in fright was enough to tell someone that something wasn't good, but what got him was the fact that Naruto seemed to be trembling at the sight of Sakura. Sakura. The girl that was weak and constantly needed to be protected. Although he saw and witnessed on his own how much stronger she became, he was still shocked to see Konoha's number one knucklehead ninja _afraid_ of her. For as long as he remembered Naruto, he knew that Naruto knew no fear after his oath of pain. Naruto was never afraid, and was the one that always rushed head-on at enemies he knew nothing about. The boy that was courage himself now stood before Sasuke, trembling at the young kunoichi that stood ahead of them. Was Sakura really THAT strong! Sasuke looked beside him at Kakashi, Jiraiya, and Tsunade. Jiraiya seemed to have the same reaction as Naruto, Kakashi was grinning under his mask, and Tsunade stood beside Jiraiya, smiling proudly at her student.

"Jiraiya and Naruto are the only people that survived an encounter with Sakura."

Sasuke cocked a brow at Kakashi.

"Haruno Sakura?"

Kakashi grinned even more.

"No, I mean, they were the only people that survived after they got caught peeping at Sakura in the Hot Springs."

Sasuke's eyebrow began to twitch.

"Oh (twitch) really? (twitch twitch)"

Kakashi smiled at his ex-student and nodded.

"And (twitch) what were they doing _peeping_ (twitch) at her?"

Kakashi's grin couldn't have been any wider. Sasuke silently wondered how far Kakashi's jaw stretched, but then again, he'd never find out as long as Kakashi wore his mask. Maybe Kaka-sensei wore a mask to hide a hideously wide jaw…but at the moment, Sasuke wasn't exactly concerned about Kakashi or even Orochimaru. (whoah! It's the apocalypse!) At the moment, the only thing that the supposedly hormone-less ninja was thinking about was the fact that Jiraiya, much less, _Naruto_ were peeking at _Sakura._ Kakashi noticed how hard Sasuke was trying to control his temperament at the mention of Naruto and Jiraiya peeping.

"…heh. They were _researching_."

_Researching._ That word hit Sasuke like a ton of lead. Even _he_ knew what it meant when Jiraiya was "researching." He silently applauded Sakura for beating Jiraya and Naruto to a pulp. But the thought of his ex-teammate peeping was hard to swallow, although it _DID_ kind of make sense. Naruto always had a crush on Sakura. Even just then, during their little "encounter" (see ch. 11 I think) he couldn't help but notice that Naruto still thought that Sakura was his. (Not to mention Naruto's use of the sexy no jutsu) Still, the thought that Naruto was peeping at Haruno Sakura deeply disturbed him. Sasuke's attention was brought back to reality when he suddenly remembered that Orochimaru was still alive and that Sakura was pissed at Oro. (nice going Uchiha.)

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Sakura reached into her shuriken holster and flung 5 shuriken at Orochimaru. While the Shuriken were making their way towards Orochimaru, she jumped up and flipped mid-air preparing to land her heel square on his head. The snake sannin smirked, and with a flick of his wrist, Sakura was flung backwards into a tree. She got on her knees with her hands on the ground in front of her to hold herself up. He laughed maniacally as Sakura became paralyzed.

"Foolish girl. And you dare call yourself the Hokage's apprentice? My, my, SHAME on you, Tsunade. Why do you bother wasting your time training a helpless case like this girl before me?"

Sakura growled as she barely moved her arm up to fling a kunai knife at Orochimaru. He caught it easily. Naruto and Jiraiya snapped out of their fear and woke up when Sakura got flung back earlier. Rage awoke in Naruto as some of the kyuubi's powers came forth unto him.

"You bastard! That old woman didn't waste her time training Sakura-chan! YOU wasted YOUR time training that teme! YOU trained him so he could be your new body-slash-container-slash-whatever! And NOW, HE'S on OUR side! So eat that you LOSER!"

Naruto's eyes became red, and he charged straight at Orochimaru. Tsunade smirked and ran up, following Naruto. Naruto made hand signs.

"Kage-bunshin no justu!"

Five Naruto clones popped up. Two of them each prepared a rasengan, each easily forming one in one hand. One of the clones with the rasengan jumped behind Orochimaru, while the other remained charging head-on. Of the three remaining clones, one jumped over on top of Orochimaru's head, and the other two separated and grabbed Orochimaru's hands so he couldn't escape. The Naruto clone above Orochimaru stomped on the snake-sannin's head, and the remaining two Narutos (behind and in front of him) attacked Orochimaru.

"RASENGAN!"

Instantly, Orochimaru was hit with the rasengan in front and in back. However, he seemed to be healing.

"Hehe. Thanks to Kabuto's pill, I now receive half the damage I usually get whenever an enemy attacks me."

Poor Orochimaru seemed to have forgotten all about Tsunade who was running up behind Naruto and the rest of the ninjas.

Tsunade focused a chakra-filled punch at Orochimaru, who barely managed to dodge the blow. He was injured not by coming in contact with the punch, but by the impact/force of the punch.

"HAH! Orochimaru…you seem to have slowed down a bit. I didn't even have to touch you, and you STILL got hurt. Out of shape maybe?"

Orochimaru licked the blood off of his face. He turned his head and was shocked to see a giant toad. The toad crashed on Orochimaru, who barely dodged it. (again.)

"YO, Orochimaru! Don't tell me that you forgot about me also!"

Jiraiya stood beside Tsunade, smirking. (TWO team reunions! Naruto's team, AND Jiraiya's!)

Orochimaru opened his mouth. A snake came out of it and opened its mouth, producing the sword of Kusanagi. (**note** that from this point on, 99 percent of Orochimaru's attacks are going to be made up stupidly by me since I don't know any Japanese or many of Orochimaru's attacks, so bear with me, please.)

Kakashi jumped up and made the chidori, using it to cut off the sword of Kusanagi. (again, I ask, PLEASE BEAR WITH ME.) Orochimaru drew back and glared at Kakashi.

"Orochimaru…the man that I am today can take you down with the help of my comrades."

"Kakashi. Haven't you learned? You STILL say one thing and do another. What kind of fool do you think I am?"

Orochimaru smirked and did his seneijashu technique/attack. As Orochimaru made punching motions towards Kakashi, several snakes projected from his wrist, biting towards/at Kakashi.

"GET AWAY FROM KAKASHI SENSEI!"

Many shadow clones of Naruto charged towards Oro from many directions. Simultaneously, they flung shuriken at Orochimaru, and away from Kakashi.

"Shihhohapo Shuriken!"

Some of the shuriken cut of the snakes from Orochimaru's wrist, some hit Orochimaru, and the rest were dodged by the snake user.

"Don't forget about us, you creep!"

Sakura and Sasuke charged at Orochimaru. Sasuke, seeing Orochimaru overwhelmingly outmatched smirked at the sight. _Well I'll be darned…_

"I can't believe that I wasted two and a half years of my life thinking that you were strong."

Immediately, Sakura, using chakra in her feet arrived at Orochimaru before he could escape. Kakashi decided to forget about dodging and attacking Orochimaru at the moment and jumped behind Orochimaru to hold him in place and prevent him from escaping. Sakura then concentrated some chakra into her hand, severing Orochimaru's muscles once they came in contact. Orochimaru, unable to move and defend himself and vulnerable, was in a mild state of panic. Sasuke performed familiar hand signs.

"Goukakyu no jutsu!" (You know, that fireball attack that he uses a lot…I forgot how to spell it. Sorry!)

A giant fireball came flying at Orochimaru and Sakura and Kakashi got out of the way before it hit Orochimaru. Orochimaru stood smiling as he the fire continued to burn him.

"Sasuke…I thought that I had trained you better…you KNOW that you could never hope to defeat me with that pitiful flame!"

In an instant, the flames were out. All 5 Konoha ninjas and Sasuke's eyes widened in horror.

"You just won't stay dead, will you?"

Everyone turned to Naruto.

"No matter how many times we all beat you, you just wouldn't stay down! Well, by the time I am through with you, you'll never want to be alive again! I'm gonna KILL YOU and make sure that you STAY DEAD!"

Naruto made five shadow clones.

"UZUMAKI NARUTO RENDAN!"

Four Bunshin kicked Orochimaru into the air. Naruto himself then used a descending kick, smashing Orochimaru into the ground.

"Nice job, Naruto. Mind if I join you?"

Jiraiya drew out a scroll, nipped his thumb, and ran his blood across the paper. Closing the scroll, he summoned Gamabunta. The Giant toad arrived and Jiraiya stood on top of it. Tsunade smiled. She liked where Jiraiya was going. She drew out a different scroll, nipped her thumb, and drew her blood across the paper also, closing the scroll, she summoned Katsuyu. Kakashi prepared his raikiri. Feeling a bit left out, Sasuke and Sakura looked at eachother and nodded. Both of them clapped their hands together.

"You ready Sakura?"

"You bet, Sasuke-kun! There's no way we're gonna let them have all the fun without us!"

Sasuke performed some hand signs.

"Hosenka no jutsu!"

Multiple balls of flame flew at Orochimaru. Orochimaru smirked as he used his insane speed to dodge the flames. However, he didn't know that there were shuriken within the flames, so one of the shuriken caught onto his clothing, pinning him to a nearby tree. Sakura rushed up at Orochimaru with a fist full of chakra, ready to punch him. Orochimaru knew that if Tsunade were to punch him with all her strength, that she'd kill him. He also knew that Sakura had "inherited" Tsunade's strength and that she was just as strong as the Hokage. Now, seeing Sakura charging at him with a fist full of chakra, he could've sworn that he saw his life(s) flash before his eyes. He had to think fast.

Sakura punched "Orochimaru" only to find another log where he was before.

"What the-he used the replacement technique!"

Kakashi was ready.

He was charging straight at Orochimaru with his raikiri.Kakashi, using his speed managed to graze Orochimaru before he dodged. Jiraiya was all over him.

"Don't forget about us, you teme!" Jiraiya (no, not Naruto) said.

Gamabunta spit oil at Orochimaru. Jiraiya then ignited the oil by breathing fire at it. Before Orochimaru could heal himself, Tsunade decided that it was her turn to attack him. When Orochimaru's body landed with a loud thud, Katsuyu used

the Katsuyu Daibunretsu. The slud divided itself into smaller ones, the smaller ones holding onto Orochimaru. Orochimaru, realizing that he was unable to move much, searched his mind for ways to escape. Kakashi walked up calmly to Orochimaru and paralyzed the snake sannin.

"Kanashibari no jutsu. Like I said, the man that I am today can take you down with the help of my comrades."

Naruto walked up to Orochimaru, anger boiling within him. He seemed to have returned back to normal. His eyes were no longer red like those of the kitsune. They were cerulean blue. Naruto clutched his fists tightly as he glared at Orochimaru.

"Hmph. You bastard. After all this suffering that you made us Konoha ninjas and Sand ninjas go through, I finally see you here, lying open and defenseless. You ARE the real Orochimaru, aren't you?"

Orochimaru began to chuckle. The chuckle soon became a mad, maniac-like laugh that sent shiverd down most of their spines. Naruto, however, stood on his feet and didn't seem to flinch a bit. Tsunade watched in amazement and in awe as she admired Naruto from nearby. _He…possesses so much courage, even more that that of a lion…_

"Because of you, Sasuke left Konohagakure, upsetting many of us, and breaking Sakura-chan's heart. You lied to Sasuke! You KILLED the Third Hokage! I forgive you for hurting me, but I'll NEVER forgive you for emotionally and physically abusing Sakura-chan and Sasuke!"

Tsunade continued to watch Naruto. _He puts others welfare before his…_

"Now, I'm gonna make you pay for all that you've done! I'm gonna make you suffer and live through hell like what you have done to all of us! I'm gonna KILL YOU!"

_And he knows what punishment is necessary for situations such as this…_

Naruto charged head on at Orochimaru with rasengan at hand. He forced the Rasengan in as far in as he could. (ewww! Wait, nevermind me, im just being perverted…hehehe…) Orochimaru coughed up blood. He was as good as dead. Naruto smiled.

"Heh. He's still got some life in him. Sakura-chan, I'll give you he honor of finishing him off."

Sakura's mouth hung open. She didn't know what to say.

"N-n-naruto…I can't. I…can't kill someone…I just…can't."

Tsunade, at the sight of blood looked away from Orochimaru and at her student. She smiled at Sakura. _She's too innocent, even after all that she's been through. Something as pure and innocent as a cherry blossom will never be the same once stained with blood. _She loved Sakura as if she were her child and understood Sakura's views. She herself didn't want Sakura to do any killing, even though they were at war. After inhaling and exhaling deeply, Tsunade convinced herself to look back at Naruto. She had to overcome her fear of blood sooner of later…and it wasn't like she hadn't seen any blood at all lately. (remember that chapter with the fountain of blood after Naruto used the sexy jutsu?)

Naruto grinned at Sakura. He also understood what she meant. Sasuke looked at Sakura with pity. He awkwardly put his hand on her shoulder to reassure her, trying to ignore the fact that he was slightly blushing in public.

Naruto grabbed a kunai knife from his pouch and swiped Orochimaru's head off. He himself didn't enjoy taking the lives of others, but such is the way of war. You either kill or be killed, although Sakura was an exception to that rule. Blood poured out of Orochimaru's head, and thus was the end of one of he three legendary Sannins.

"Everyone. Don't look away. This is the end of one of the three ninja of Konoha Legend…" Kakashi ordered.

"…And my ex-teammate…" Jiraiya continued.

"..OUR ex-teammate." Tsunade finished. The six of them stared. The air was filled with mixed emotions.

"Hey Tsunade. You'd better call some hunter ninjas over here to dispose of this bastard's corpse." Jiraiya said.

Tsunade closed her eyes.

"Jiraiya, do you mind doing that for me?"

Jiraiya wore a questioning look on his face.

"…Sure, no problem."

When Jiraiya left, Tsunade watched Naruto walk over to talk to Sasuke and Sakura. The whole time, Tsunade never took her eyes off of Naruto as she thought to herself:

_Grandfather…Sensei…I'm sure that you will honor my decision as the current Hokage. _

She smiled as she watched Naruto laugh as he talked with his ex-teammates and ex-sensei.

_I'll be joining you guys soon…I'm sure of it. Perhaps when I join you two, we will all be able to look down and smile as we watch our new Hokage. _

Tsunade started to slowly walk towards Naruto.

_Grandpa…I'm proud to be your granddaughter, and Sensei, I am equally proud to have been your student. Please, I want you guys to be as proud of my decision as I am._

Tsunade gently placed her hand on Naruto's shoulder. Naruto turned around with a questioning look on his face. Tsunade chuckled then looked Naruto straight in the eye.

"Naruto…You are the bravest, most kind-hearted ninja I've ever known of all the…..thirty years of my life." _If a bit dim…_

"Tsunade-sama, what do you mean thirty years? You're an old maid! That's why you don't even have a husband after living for like, fifty five years!"

Tsunade smiled a crooked smile and laughed a forced laugh, although her eyebrow was twitching. Her grip on Naruto's shoulder tightened considerably.

"Hahahahaha! Don't (twitch) ruin (twitch) the moment."

Naruto, Kakahi, Sasuke, and Sakura sweat dropped at what was happening.

"Hehe…yes ma'am."

Tsunade loosened her grip a little.

"Now…where was I before I was RUDELY interrupted? Hmm…oh yes, like, I said, you are the bravest, most kind-hearted ninja I have ever known! Good job!"

Then, Tsunade began to laugh as she slapped Naruto's back hard over and over again.

"Haha! (slap) Hahahahaha(slap) ha(slap) Good Job! (slap)"

Naruto:

"Thanks-Ow! No really-Ow! Th-Ow! Than-Ow! TSUNADE-SAMA!"

Tsunade stopped and cleared her throat. After taking a deep breath, she put both of her hands on Naruto's shoulders and made him face her. Looking him straight in the eye, she continued what she was about to say.

"You're a wonderful ninja, one full of skill…though I can't quite say the same about the amount of knowledge and wisdom you possess…but that will come with time..." _Hopefully…_

"Hmph. You hear that dobe?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah, yeah, Whatever, Tsunade, would you cut to the chase? I'm growing old here."

Tsunade couldn't help but smile at Naruto's impatience and brash personality.

"…You possess the qualities of an ideal leader, and I'm sure that you will make a fine Hokage…"

Naruto's eyes widened. Could this conversation be going where he thinks it's going?

"You showed many of us the meaning of courage and determination, seeing as how hard you've been working towards that goal. With our help, you helped defeat one of Konoha's greatest threats, and I would be proud to have you as my successor."

Naruto slapped himself to make sure that he was awake. It hurt, so he KNEW that he HAD to be awake. He then narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"WAIT-this isn't a joke, is it? 'Cuz if it is, then I'm seriously gonna have to kick your fat asses. Except for Sakura-chan since she has a nice one, so I'm willing to make an exception to her-"

Naruto was cut short when Sasuke, Sakura, and Tsunade bonked his head.

"I am NOT yours, Naruto!"

"She is not yours, dobe, and I'd like to see you TRY to kick my ass."

"Naruto, I DO NOT HAVE A FAT ASS."

Tsunade cleared her throat yet again.

"Ahem No, Naruto, this isn't a joke. I'm serious. I won't be here forever. I'm gonna die some day. Right now, the village is a mess. We need a stronger, and yes, _slightly_ younger person to lead and protect this country now."

Naruto couldn't help himself any more. He was SO FRIGGIN HAPPY! He leaped up and threw his arms around Tsunade and hugged her so hard and was so happy. He caught her off-guard, and knocked both of them onto the ground. He still had his arms around her, perhaps trying to squeeze the life out of her.

"Yes! YES YES YES! I LOVE YOU TSUNADE-SAMA!"

Jiraiya, who happened to walk in at the moment with a couple of hunter nins who got to work right away, saw Naruto hugging Tsunade on the floor (who happened to be wriggling cuz she was trying to get loose), and heard what Naruto had just said. He, however, being the author of the ComeComeParadise and ComeComeViolence series (you should pick up a copy at your local book store. I'm awesome.), happened to take it all the wrong way after the image and words fully registered in his brain.

"WAY TO GO NARUTO! You're FINALLY a non-virgin! But getting it on with Tsunade? Kinda desperate, if you ask me, I mean, she DOES have the tits, but that's like, you know, plastic surgery? NEVER go for older women. BUT…If you'd like, I can publish this in my books and make you famous?"

Tsunade punched Jiraiya up into the air using her strength. Naruto threw a kunai up into the air and made it land on Jiraiya's ass, sending him to who-knows-where. After the hunter nins completed disposing Orochimaru's body and left, Jiraiya crawled back to everyone.

"OOOoooooowwwww….What the heck was that for?"

Tsunade walked up to Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya, Naruto's already famous."

"How?"

Naruto stepped in.

"You're looking at Tsunade's new successor!"

"Well, what do you know? I'm now the teacher of two of Konoha's Hokages."

Tsunade laughed.

"Yeah, makes you proud, doesn't it?"

"Go figure."

The 6 ninja looked around at their surroundings. Konohagakure was a mess. There were broken bricks and buildings standing where statues, monuments, and buildings once proudly stood. Gaara, the Sand ninjas, some other Konoha ninjas, and even Shikamaru, (no, that wasn't a typo) could be seen fighting off the remaining Sound ninjas in the near-distance.

Sakura walked up behind Naruto and slapped his back playfully if a bit hard.

"Better get to work, Hokage-sama! Enjoy yourself!"

Sasuke smirked as he followed Sakura and stood beside her.

"Try not to have too much fun without my help, dobe."

Everyone laughed and all was well for the time being.

_To be continued…_

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ComeComeParadise Corner:

Ahem **NO THIS IS NOT THE END!**

This chapter is about 11 pages! YOWZAS! Lol. Anyways…More sasusaku next chapter hopefully…This chapter was a pain to write because of all the fighting going on. (I STINK at writing fighting scenes.) well, like I mentioned at the beginning, if you don't see your second-most favorite pairing up in the poll, or your favorite couple doesn't have as many votes as you'd like it to have, then vote! There's still more to come!

**DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! AND REMEMBER THAT I DON'T TAKE ANY CRAP, SO DON'T FLAME ME! REVIEW, NO FLAMES, AND CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM ONLY!**

That's all for now, so until next time, talk to ya laters! C'ya!


	14. Chapter 14

NaruHina: 6 votes

NejiTen: 3 votes

ShikaIno: 3 votes

ShikaTem: 1 vote

Doesn't want any other pairings: 1

And the votes are in! Well, for now, anyways…Voting ends by the time I update next chapter, so yah. Keep voting if your favorite couple isn't in the lead!

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_Orochimaru was dead, and all was well for the time being. Naruto is Tsunade's successor, and as of now, the war with Otogakure is over, with Konoha being victorious. _

"So Sasuke-kun…what should we do now?"

Sasuke and Sakura were standing with Naruto, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Kakashi. Before them stood Konoha, looking like a mess. They all watched Gaara and the other ninjas finish off the last of the Sound ninjas. When all was done, Konoha suffered a loss of 55 ninjas and 75 casulties compared to the deaths of over 1000 Sound ninjas. The remaining Sound ninjas numbered a mere 15, all whom were taken prisoner by the ANBU.

"Gaara! We couldn't thank you enough!" Sakura shouted. She was extremely glad that he decided to help them out despite their last minute request for assistance in the middle of a war.

"It figures. We bust our butts out there, and the only person that gets thanked is our little brother."

Sakura turned around and saw Temari and Kankuro approaching them. They both had a couple of scratches and bruises, but other than that, they looked fine. Sakura smiled and ran over to them. She threw her arms around Temari.

"I'm so glad that you guys are okay!"

"What? Don't I get a hug from the pretty girl?" Kankuro jokingly asked. ( A tad OOC, but bear with me.)

Sasuke walked over to them and grunted. Sakura, seeing this, smiled.

"You don't need a hug."

Kankuro looked over at Sasuke with a surprised look on his face. He wasn't expecting to hear something like that coming from Sasuke, despite the fact that they barely knew each other. Temari was surprised too.

"What do you know? He's alive after all." She said. Temari then looked over at Sakura and smirked.

"Looks like lady luck is on your side, Sakura."

"Hardly."

Everyone was surprised to hear the voice interrupt. They turned around and saw Neji, Ten-ten and Lee walking up to them. Neji continued.

"It never has anything to do with luck. It's fate and destiny. Only idiotic fools like you would make the mistake of thanking luck. It was fate that a weakling like Uchiha returned alive, and it's destiny that he met us all and returned."

Sakura, Temari and Kankuro sweat-dropped. Although Temari and Kankuro didn't know Neji very well, they knew about his obsession with fate and his egotistical behavior. Sasuke on the other hand, remained cool and calm in composure. He cocked an eyebrow at Neji. _That bastard. Weak? Me? I'm an Uchiha. He's the idiot._

"I doubt that a weakling would survive an encounter with Orochimaru like I did."

It was Neji's turn to cock an eyebrow.

"You betrayed Konoha so that you could go to that bisexual lowlife. Now that he's dead, you're here with your fallen comrades at our mercy."

Sakura chose to but in. _no one calls Sasuke-kun a betrayer. _

"Back off, Neji. Sasuke DID betray us, but he came back and helped us kill Orochimaru. His assistance greatly affected the outcome of the war in OUR favor, and because of him, the remaining Sound ninjas are at our mercy, and not the other way around."

Before Neji could respond to Sakura's words, Ten-ten decided to put an end to the conversation before another war erupted. She walked in front of Neji, laughing nervously.

"Ahahaha…hey Neji, I think that Master Gai needs us to help him clean up the city."

"Ten-ten, why are you trying to change the subject?"

"Ummm…because you're so smart! You're so smart and intelligent, these, uh, idiots don't stand a chance in a…quarrel with you!"

Neji smirked and nodded. Everyone else sweat-dropped.

"It makes me happy that you understand that."

Lee, being an idiot, however, decided to ask another question.

"But Ten-ten! I don't think that Gai-sensei needs our help! He's not even cleaning up!"

Neji watched Ten-ten. Ten-ten nervously laughed. _Lee, you idiot!_

"But Lee…_friend_…that's why we must go ahead and clean up before he does…"

"Why? I don't get it!"

"Uh….ummmm…because…cause it's the YOUTHFUL thing to do! We must let the power of youth flow!"

Everyone's sweatdrop grew bigger. Lee's eye widened with astonishment. _I finally get it! Wow!_

"Wow, Ten-ten! The power of youth must be flowing within you! Embrace it! I'm very proud of you! Let's go! It's the power of youth! Let us all go hand-in-hand and clean up the city and make Gai-sensei proud!"

Lee ran off and Neji and Ten-ten walked away slowly.

"Ten-ten."

"Yes, Neji?"

"…why did you try to change the subject earlier again?"

"Uhh… cause you're so smart! You were so smart and intelligent, and those…uh, idiots didn't stand a chance in a…quarrel with you!"

Neji smirked.

"That's right. Don't forget the truth. Don't be an idiot, and remember that."

With that, he walked ahead, leaving Ten-ten behind. When Neji was far up ahead and out of ear-shot, she turned back at Sakura, Temari, Kankuro, and Sasuke.

"When in doubt, play off of his ego." She whispered then ran off.

Everyone's sweat-drop grew even bigger. Sakura smiled awkwardly and laughed nervously while she mouthed a 'thanks' to Ten-ten and waved good-bye to her. When Team Gai was out of sight, Tsunade called Sakura and Sasuke over to her. Sakura gave Tamari and Kankuro a quick hug before running off to catch up with Sasuke. When they got to Tsunade, the Fifth's face was serious and stern. Naruto was with her, and they both motioned for Sasuke and Sakura to follow them to a quiet place away from everyone else. Naruto spoke up first.

"Sasuke. We need to discuss some…important things."

Sasuke nodded his head. Tsunade spoke next.

"Now that you are back here, we need to talk. You betrayed Konohagakure and left us in order to seek out the enemy…"

Sakura's eyes widened in horror and turned her head to look at Sasuke. He appeared to look calm and emotionless.

"…hn."

Naruto continued.

"We were speaking to old man Ero-Sennin, Kakashi-sensei and some of the village farts-er, _elders_ about a suitable punishment for you."

Sakura gasped. _A punishment? After all that has happened? Why?_

"B-but Naruto! Sasuke was our teammate! You can't! A-and, Tsunade-sama! Why? He never actually hurt us, so you can't punish him!"

Tsunade spoke to her student.

"Relax, Sakura. We know all of that. Let us finish."

"..So, teme, about your punishment, we all talked about it and we decided that we're gonna kill you."

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow, and Sakura's eye began to water.

"NARUTO! YOU CAN'T!"

Sasuke didn't say a word. After a brief moment of silence, Naruto cracked up, and Tsunade sighed.

"BWAHAHA! HAHAHA! S-SORRY! I just HAD to see your reactions, or lack, thereof! You should have seen your face Sakura-chan!"

"hmph. Dobe."

Sakura punched Naruto into the ground and shouted at Naruto and scolded him about giving people heart-attacks and stuff. After Naruto managed to pull himself out of the ground, he rubbed his head and laughed sheepishly.

"hahaha…that was just a joke!"

Tsunade decided to continue for Naruto.

"Uchiha, you helped us defeat Orochimaru, and we wouldn't have done as well as we have if it weren't for you…and Naruto. After talking with Kakashi, Jiraiya, and the village elders, we decided that you have already redeemed yourself by assisting in the death and demise of Orochimaru and the Sound ninjas."

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief and Sasuke let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding.

"BUT…"

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow.

"but..?"

Naruto spoke.

"Sasuke, if you decide to leave Konoha again, make sure to let me know before you do, and let Sakura-chan know, too. Otherwise, if you don't, well, you know, I'd have to kick your ass."

"..hn. Whatever."

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After speaking with Tsunade, Kakashi, and Jiraiya for a little while, and thanking Sand and saying their goodbyes, Sasuke tapped Sakura's shoulder lightly and motioned for her to follow.

They walked in silence, with Sasuke walking ahead and Sakura following him. Sasuke led the way, and although Sakura had no idea where they were going, she followed him anyways, and kept her questions to herself.

When Sasuke stopped walking, Sakura accidentally bumped into him. Rubbing her head, she sheepishly apologized to him and stood beside him. After receiving no response, Sakura looked at her surroundings. Her eyes widened in amazement as she fully took in her surroundings.

"This…this is the Uchiha residential area."

Sasuke grunted.

"Was."

Sakura looked down.

"Oh…right. Sorry."

He cocked an eyebrow.

"Why are you sorry?"

Sakura looked up.

"N-No, it's just that-"

"There's nothing for you to be sorry about."

Sakura mouthed the word 'oh.' And bit her tongue when she was about to say sorry again. Sasuke sighed heavily. The sun was starting to set, and the entire area had an orange hue.

"There was a time when this place was full of Uchihas…"

Sakura looked up at Sasuke. She felt his sorrow, and her heart ached.

"Now, there are only two."

Sasuke walked over to Sakura. His eyes held no emotion, and his hands were stuffed in his pocket.

"Sasuke-kun…"

"Sakura…I still need to find my brother. I can't afford to live comfortably with the knowledge that he is still alive."

Sakura began to cry. The sadness that he held was unbearable, and now she felt it too.

"But once he is dead, there will be two Uchihas still…well, there _may_ be two Uchihas…"

"S-Sasuke-kun, what do you mean? Is there another Uchiha out there besides your brother?"

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders and turned away from Sakura.

"Maybe…"

Sakura wanted to ask Sasuke, but decided not to question him any further. Sasuke continued.

"After my brother is dead, that other Uchiha may be you."

Sakura's eyes widened. She felt a surge of mixed emotions. Happiness, embarrassment, sadness…there were too many to choose just one. Was Sasuke proposing to her? She wanted to look into his dark eyes, but Sasuke still had his back facing her, and his hands were still stuffed in his pockets.

"Sakura…I still need to restore my clan. You do remember, don't you?"

She silently nodded. Even with his back to her, Sasuke knew.

"Sasuke-kun, I thought that you've forgotten about that…of all the years that I've known you, the only goal you seemed to be concerned about was killing that certain man…"

"It didn't mean that I forgot about my other goal."

Sakura smiled.

"Killing Itachi and getting my revenge is what matters most in my life. Remember what I told you about three years ago?"

"…"

"I'm an avenger."

Sakura sighed. He was just so…Sasuke-kun like. Even when he was supposedly proposing, the conversation somehow found its way back to power and avenging his clan. This was probably going to be as romantic as he going to get. She couldn't help but giggle to herself.

Sasuke heard Sakura giggling and turned around to face her again. He removed his hands from his pockets and crossed them across his chest as he cocked an eyebrow at her. She was always there for him, and she understood him completely. There was a time when he hated it because he felt vulnerable around her, but now, seeing her after about three years, he came to appreciate and even _love_ her understanding of him. She was important to him, although he would never openly state that. She was one of the only people that really cared about him since the death of his parents, if not more.

"What are you giggling about Sakura? I'm serious."

She stopped giggling and smiled at him.

"I know, Sasuke-kun, I know."

"hn."

She couldn't help but start giggling again. How many times has she heard that come out of him? It brought back many bittersweet memories.

Sasuke couldn't help but smirk upon hearing Sakura giggle again. He knew why she was giggling. He only used that 'phrase' about half the time of his life. It brought back many bittersweet memories to him too.

"Sakura, you're annoying."

Sakura giggled even more. Sasuke will always be Sasuke, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

"Thanks."

Sasuke smirked. When Sakura's giggling finally stopped, Sasuke continued.

"So, Sakura…how many Uchihas are there going to be when my brother is dead?"

Sakura smiled and wrapped her arms around Sasuke.

"Two, Sasuke-kun. You and me."

Sasuke felt himself smile a little as he loosely hung his arms around Sakura's body and slightly returned her hug in his own way.

"Sasuke-kun…you're so…Sasuke."

"…"

"But I wouldn't want it any other way."

"hn."

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ComeComeParadise Corner:

Well, Sasuke "proposed" in his own little way. I'm sorry if it came out a tad bit OOC…my apologies, everyone. More coming your way! Remember to vote, too, cuz this is your last chance to vote for another pairing! Scroll back up top to see more!

**Remember to REVIEW and NO FLAMES!**


	15. Chapter 15

NaruHina: 11 votes

NejiTen: 8 votes

ShikaIno: 6 votes

ShikaTem: 2 vote

Doesn't want any other pairings: 1

Kay, the votes are like, totally in! I guess that I'm gonna be writing naruhina…it pretty much makes sense anyways, considering the fact that Sakura's with Sasuke now…So anyways, thanks for voting everyone!

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Sasuke had just "proposed" to our favorite pink-haired kuniochi.

As the two stood there in silence, they quietly took in the others' presence as they watched the sunset. The inner turmoil that once occupied both of their minds has settled down a bit and each ninja felt peaceful and calm for the first time in what seemed like an eternity. After the sun had disappeared behind the majestic Hokage Mountain, (I have no idea what to call it-sorry!) Sasuke grunted, snapping Sakura out of her peaceful daze.

"Follow me."

Sakura merely nodded before taking off after Sasuke. His movements were swift and graceful, like any ninja of exceptional calibers should be. Sakura smiled softly as she tried to match her steps and walk in tune with him. She had no idea where he was taking her, nor did she really care. As long as she was with him, she would be happy. She had already lived two and a half years without him, and she didn't plan on living any longer without him.

Suddenly, Sasuke came to an abrupt halt. Sakura looked up. She couldn't help but gasp in awe at the beautiful house that stood before her. She looked up at Sasuke with a questioning look in her eyes. However, his eyes were downcast. As if he sensed the look in her eyes, Sasuke quickly answered Sakura's question before she had a chance to ask it.

"This is the house that I grew up in…with my parents, and Itachi."

Sakura silently mouthed an "oh" and turned to look at the house again. She was curious as to what was within the massive building, but didn't feel that it was right to ask. After noticing that Sasuke hadn't moved from his spot for a while, she slowly and gently grabbed his hand and held it in hers. Sasuke flinched upon contact. Sakura, noticing this, quickly let go of his hands and sighed heavily. She began to question whether Sasuke really proposed to her or not. She wanted to pinch herself to make sure that she was awake, that Sasuke was really standing right beside her, and that it all was reality, and not a dream. However, fearing the worse, she decided against it.

Sasuke, noticing this, couldn't help but sigh and mumble a quick apology. He didn't know why he apologized-it wasn't his fault that Sakura was nosy and that she dare-he-say _startled_ him. He was deeply preoccupied in his own thoughts and wasn't expecting her to suddenly _grab_ his hand, is all. He couldn't help but let out yet another sigh.

"Come on, Sakura."

Sakura quickly jerked her head up.

"H-hai. S-sorry!"

Sasuke stopped walking. Sakura, realizing that she had yet again apologized for no sufficient-according-to-Sasuke-kun reason, slapped herself.

"S-sorry for apologizing again, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke smirked.

"Why are you sorry for apologizing?"

Sakura's eyes widened with realization, and her mouth hung open. However, before she could say another word, or even apologize for apologizing for saying sorry, Sasuke walked up the steps of his old home and opened the door. He inwardly smirked at what just happened. _If only she knew how ridiculous she looked just now..._ (She looked like a guppie!)

"Are you just gonna stand there all night?"

Sakura hurriedly ran up the steps, as she blushed beet-red.

"O-o-oh! Right! Sorry, again, Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke smirked. _She's sorry too much…_ He decided against pointing out that fact that she had yet again, apologized for no real reason.

The two of them walked in silence in the corridors of the Uchiha mansion. Sakura looked around in amazement. The walls were beautifully adorned with paintings, and the entire house seemed so clean. She found it hard to believe that there was once blood within the house after Itachi had murdered its inhabitants. Everything seemed to be in order. Looking back at Sasuke, her eyes saddened at the thought. _Did you come back and clean this place all up on your own?_ She couldn't imagine the twelve-year-old boy she knew and fell in love with two and a half years ago cleaning up a house that held many painful memories, much less a younger one. _How did it feel to clean up the blood of those that you once called your parents?_ She couldn't help but start crying again. _After going through all that pain and sorrow as a young child…no wonder you were so…emotionless! How did you manage to live all those years without anyone to come home to? How did you live with the knowledge that your very own brother took away the lives of EVERYONE that cared for you? EVERYTHING!_ Sakura let her tears freely pour down her face.

Sasuke, however, bore no emotion whatsoever. Sensing that Sakura was crying, he stopped walking and turned to face her.

"Living with that pain was intolerably difficult when we were younger. There were times when I would wake up, hoping that everything was a dream, hoping to see my mother's face again…only to realize and remember that it all wasn't a dream, that it was all my bitter reality."

His words were sharp, and Sakura felt as if they had cut right through her heart. _Why? Why did Itachi have to kill the entire Uchiha clan? Why did he have to cause Sasuke-kun all this pain? _

"S-Sasuke-kun…I'm so…sorry."

Sasuke cocked a brow.

"Why are you sorry?"

Sakura got up.

"I'm sorry that I wasn't able to fully understand everything that you went through till now."

Sighing, Sasuke walked over to Sakura.

"You did understand. You knew everything that happened to my clan since we met a few months ago. You're probably the only girl our age that knows."

Sakura desperately wished that Sasuke would have said that with some emotion. That way, it'd sound more believable, and she wouldn't have such a hard time believing it.

Sasuke continued to walk over to Sakura until they were only about a meter apart.

"After that incident, you were probably the only person that really cared."

Sakura roughly brushed her tears off of her face and looked Sasuke straight in the eye. After clearing her throat, she said,

"Sasuke-kun…thanks…"

Sasuke cocked a brow at her. Smiling, she continued.

"You know…for everything…"

"hn."

Sasuke turned around abruptly and continued walking down the hallway. Quickly tucking a loose hair behind her ear, Sakura quickly ran to catch up with him.

They entered a simply decorated room that blended and worked beautifully with the simple yet elegant looking features of the entire house. Sakura stood at the foot of the bed at the middle of the room as Sasuke opened the drawer beside it. After rummaging through the drawer for a bit, he pulled out a plain, black, ivory box with the Uchiha fan painted on its cover. He motioned for Sakura to draw near.

When Sakura stood beside Sasuke, he opened the box to reveal two necklaces. They both bore the same Uchiha fan engraved on either side of a small, black, square made of the same material as the box. Painted on the right of the fan was the character for "shinobi." The necklaces each hung on red, silk string that was strong, yet soft. Sakura marveled at the sight of the two matching necklaces. She was shocked when Sasuke handed one of the necklaces to her.

"Here."

"Huh? Why are you giving this to me?"

"It belonged to my parents."

"What?"

Sasuke sighed. Sakura was supposed to be a smart girl, so why was he having such difficulty explaining things to her? (It's cuz you hardly ever speak to begin with, Sasuke. Figure it out, Einstein!)

"These two necklaces belonged to my parents."

"So why are you giving one to me? It's not mine."

Sasuke sighed again. It wasn't that hard to figure it out, and he already said more than he usually does.

"When two Uchihas are…_together_, then they both wear these two matching necklaces to symbolize their unity as one." (I made that up…)

Sasuke couldn't help but slightly blush when he said that. _Together…I'm actually saying that…_

After letting the information fully register in her mind, Sakura smiled. She gently took one of the necklaces and put it around her neck.

"Sakura. Don't let that necklace show whenever you're in public."

Sakura had a look of uncertainty.

"…Why not?"

"I don't want everyone know about…_us_…"

"H-how come?"

Sakura couldn't believe what she was hearing. _Are you ashamed?After everything that we have gone through…am I still not good enough for you Sasuke-kun? _

"Sigh If word gets out about…that, then Itachi's gonna be out to get you for sure."

He paused as he placed the necklace around his neck, gently looking at it before placing it under his shirt.

"He took everything that mattered to me away, and he wont hesitate to take you either."

"Oh…"

After a brief moment of silence, Sakura spoke up again.

"We don't even tell Naruto?"

Sasuke looked up. He's completely forgotten about the dobe. Sighing, he replied,

"We can tell Naruto, but no one else."

Sasuke silently cursed at himself for not thinking before saying that. _He can be trusted…I think. _

Sasuke turned around.

"Sasuke-kun, where are you going?"

"Lets go."

"huh?"

"We're leaving."

"B-but Sasuke! We just got here!"

"…"

"I know that this may seem like a lot to ask, but could you please…show me around your….this…place?"

Sasuke sighed. She was annoying.

"…hn."

Sakura, being the "expert Sasuke reader", understood that that "hn" meant sure in Sasuke language. Sasuke walked ahead, as he lead her around the house filled with many painful memories. As he gave her a tour, he couldn't help but think, _This house may be filled with painful memories now, but sooner or later, it will be filled with memories of happiness rather than those of sorrow. _He glanced over at Sakura and couldn't help but smirk as he watched her admire the beautiful pieces of furniture and paintings.

"Sakura…"

Sakura looked up.

"Yes, Sasuke-kun?"

"…How do you feel about…moving in here when we get, uh…."

Sakura giggled softly.

"I'd love to Sasuke-kun. Whatever you want, as long as I'm by your side, I'm happy!"

Sasuke blushed as he smirked. It was another reason that he loved her. She doesn't want anything from him, only his love.

"hn."

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Sakura woke up the next day in her room. Glancing over at the clock, she sighed irritably. IT was 10:55 AM, and she had overslept. She quickly jumped out of her bed, muttering a few curses along the way. Training was cancelled for the day, but she still had to help clean up the city. Looking out of her window, she silently wondered how her entire house wasn't damaged at all after the war. The entire city was in ruins. She was surprised that even the Uchiha district was untouched by the ninjas of Konoha. Upon remembering the Uchiha district, an image of Sasuke flashed through her mind. Flopping back onto her bed, Sakura silently wondered if Sasuke had really proposed to her, or if she had been hallucinating. Rolling onto her stomach, she felt something fall out of her shirt. Looking down, she saw the Uchiha necklace that Sasuke had given her the previous night. Smiling gently, she cupped the necklace in her hands. The necklace that she held in her hands was all the proof that she needed to confirm her doubts. _Sasuke really did propose to me yesterday. _She tried to contain her sudden feeling of happiness.

Sakura's parents were already out cleaning the city up, and no one else was home other than her. She decided to let it all out of her system. Jumping off of her bed, Sakura punched her fist into the air triumphantly as she ran around her entire room, jumping and dancing and running.

"YEEEESSSS!"

Sakura jumped onto her bed and began to jump on it.

"I'M WITH THE LOVE OF MY LIFE! UCHIHA! UCHIHA! UCHIHA! ME! I'M MRS. SASUKE NOW! TAKE THAT INO! WOOOOOHHOOOOOO!HAHAHAHA! YIPEE! YAY! WOOT!"

"Hey…"

Sakura stopped. She felt a blush slowly creeping across her face as she spun around to see who the voice belonged to. Her eyes widened in horror as her face turned beet red. (Think a shade ten times darker than her hair)

"S-S-Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke was looking at her oddly with one eyebrow cocked.

"U-u-uhhhh….w-well, you see, uh…I just woke up, a-and, uh…"

He smirked as he jumped off of her balcony and invited himself into her room.

"Remember not to tell anyone."

"R-Right, s-s-sorry."

"hn."

"…"

"…"

"So…Sasuke-kun, when will we, you know, get, uh…."

"Not anytime soon, if that's what you're asking."

"O-oh."

"Sakura, we're only fifteen."

"R-right. Sorry."

"Why are you sorry?"

"…"

Sasuke smirked.

"I still have to kill my brother…maybe after that's done."

"Okay."

Sasuke looked at Sakura. She was still in her pajamas. Sakura, quickly noticing that she was in her pajamas still, as well, quickly ran over to her closet and pulled out her clothes. Blushing, she turned to Sasuke.

"S-Sasuke-kun, I need to change."

Sasuke, nodded and exited her room.

After Sakura was done changing, she dashed out of her house to find Sasuke casually leaning against the wall of her front door, casually waiting.

"Thanks Sasuke-kun."

"hn." (Translation: Don't mention it!)

They immediately got to work. Soon after they began working, they received a message from the Hokage. (It's still Tsunade, but Naruto is at her office.)

The two ninjas arrived at the Hokage's office together, and they stood before the door.

"I wonder what she wants…"

"Hn." (Translation: I know, same with me."

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ComeComeParadise Corner:

Hey! I'm uber sorry about the late update, truly, I am! Seriously! As in why I was so late, Im gonna be honest and admit that I had MAJOR writer's block. I mean, I got Sasuke and Sakura promising to be married and so I thought, what more could I possibly want? So yah, I kinda had a hard time thinking something up. But I DID finally update! 8 pages! (not counting the ComeComeParadise Corner) I'm sorry if Sasuke is OOC, so you don't have to say that in your review, is you actually do review…I also just saw a recent pic of Sasuke AFTER THE TIME-SKIP. To be honest, it wasn't what I was expecting…Sasuke in a kimono? Seriously. But anyways, I'll have to admit that it could have been worse…And to make sure to see if anyone actually reads what I write at the end, I'm gonna ask each and every single one of you guys to include the words Pornography makes the world go round! My name is Chouji, and I lost a pound somewhere in your review. Plz and thank you!

ComeComeParadise

Remember: **REVIEW! AND NO FLAMES!**


	16. Chapter 16

Hello everyone! So…NaruHina's a given as the other side couple. But since NejiTen came in so close, I might add that also. (key word: might.) I mean, I don't want too many couples, or else the entire story might come out sounding cheesy.

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The two of them slowly opened the massive doors that led to the Hokage's office with ease. They stepped into the room, and were fairly surprised to see Naruto and Hinata in the Hokage's office as well. Well, actually Sakura wasn't surprised to see Hinata in there since she also became Tsunade's apprentice. (I think)

"Yo! Took you long enough!" Naruto laughed.

"Hmph. Whatever, dobe."

Naruto crossed his arms across his chest and huffed angrily. Sakura couldn't help but giggle at the sight. _Even after 3 years, we are still acting like Team 7…Even Sasuke-kun's betrayal and absence didn't seem to affect our overall relationship much. In fact, I think it made our relationships **stronger**_Sakura smiled softly to herself. Team 7 was tight, and still is, after everything. She'd admit whole-heartedly that their teamwork at the very beginning was almost non-existent, but they've always been there for eachother, through thick-and-thin. Glancing over at Tsunade, she couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

"Naruto, please stop that. I've summoned Sasuke and Sakura for a reason, and you are well aware of the level of seriousness that this situation would require."

Naruto and Sasuke turned to face Tsunade, as Tsunade cleared her throat. Sakura looked sadly at her mentor. _Tsunade-sama must feel terrible to have lost a teammate. He was Orochimaru, but a teammate, nonetheless. They grew up together, and I'm sure that their relationship as comrades wasn't much different from ours. I wonder…what would have happened if Jiraiya and Tsunade-sama didn't give up on Orochimaru?_

Sakura shook her head to clear the thoughts from her mind. She had to concentrate on more important matters, namely what Tsunade had to tell her and Sasuke. _What's done is done, I guess…_

"Sasuke, I understand that you still intend to kill your brother, am I right?"

Sasuke glanced over at Sakura.

"Did you-"

Tsunade smirked, and Naruto pointed an accusing finger at Sasuke.

"Hah! I knew it!"

Sasuke brought his hand up to his forehead, while Sakura stopped herself from doing the same. She didn't want to be reminded of the size of her forehead at a time like this. Tsunade decided to break the awkward pause that followed by clearing her throat and continuing to speak.

"There has been…news going around about whatever's left of the Akatsuki (spelling?) being defeated by Orochimaru before his attack on our village. However…"

Sasuke couldn't help but flinch upon hearing Tsunade's mention of the Akatsuki. Whenever the Akatsuki were mentioned, it usually would have something to do with his brother. Sakura spoke.

"…However…?"

Tsunade's eyes had a look of seriousness.

"However, there have been reports that your brother, Uchiha Itachi is still very much alive and kicking. Orochimaru didn't even bother to attack your brother, and Kisame wasn't attacked either. Orochimaru didn't bother to attack either one of them. But however, Kisame has mysteriously vanished without a trace…"

Sasuke had his head down, and his bangs shielded his eyes, preventing anyone from looking at his face.

"U-um, Tsunade-sama? Uh, why did you summon me here, too?"

The Godaime turned to look at her young protégé. _Damn. If only I was young still like her…then I wouldn't have to worry about wrinkes and sagging boobs…OH GAWSH! I just remembered! I still have that plastic surgery appointment! My boob job! Only 5 more days…_Quickly composing herself, Tsunade answered her student's question.

"You and Uchiha are something else, that's all. I was sure that you would want to know."

"Oh…"

"Tsunade…sama…"

The said person turned to look at the man that had just spoke.

"What is it Uchiha?"

The Uchiha prodigy had a slight look of concern and angst in his onyx eyes.

"Are you saying that _he's_ still alive?"

"…Yes."

There was a brief moment of silence. During that moment, Sasuke glanced over at Sakura briefly before occupying himself with his thoughts of avenging his clan and killing his brother.

"I assume that you're going to go after him, am I right?"

Sasuke shut his eyes and clutched his fist so hard that it shook.

"I…must. It is my goal, and ninja way of life."

Sakura hung her head as she let out a long, heavy sigh. She already expected that, and Sasuke himself even told her to expect that. However, despite all the warning she got and despite her knowing what was going to happen, she couldn't help but feel upset at the fact that Sasuke still wanted to kill his brother. Despite knowing the inevitable, she couldn't escape the heavy feeling in her heart.

"Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke glanced over at his future wife.

"hn?"

Sakura took a deep breath and stood up boldly.

"Take me with you. I'll help you defeat him."

Sasuke looked into her captivating green eyes. They burned with anger, and determination.

"…Sakura…"

Sakura was upset.

"Oh! Don't Sakura me! I'm coming with you and that's final!"

"I already told you that killing Itachi is my number one priority. I thought that you'd understand and handle the situation better after I told you that."

"Sasuke-kun, I DO understand, I honestly do, and that's why I want to help! Itachi is both of our enemies now! He hurt you, and made you go through so much pain and anguish! I…I can't forgive him after all that suffering that he made you go through!"

Sasuke sighed. They were making a scene, and everyone in Tsunade's office was staring at them.

"Look…Sakura…I know what you mean, but you just can't come with me. It is something that must be settled, family member to family member."

Sakura walked up to Sasuke till they were only inches apart.

"Are you saying that I'm not a part of your family?" she muttered.

Sasuke raked his fingers through his black hair.

"Sakura…not yet, but soon."

Tsunade's eyes widened with shock as she continued to watch in amusement. _Not yet, but…soon?_

Sakura walked back over to one of the nearby chairs and flopped onto it. Sighing, she muttered,

"Whatever…I don't care anymore. You go kill your brother. I'm tired, just do whatever you want."

Sasuke couldn't help but smirk upon looking at the position that Sakura was sitting in. Her face bore a childish looking pout, her arms were crossed across her chest, and she huffed angrily. She looked like a little child in that position! Sasuke walked over and sat down on the chair beside her.

"…Itachi murdered my entire family…he killed everyone that mattered to me…"

Sakura refused to look Sasuke in the eye. She turned her head away from him, and pretended to ignore him. Sasuke would have thought that she looked _cute_ in that position if she hadn't been so stubborn and uncooperative.

"Or at least that's what I thought until recently…"

Sakura turned her head ever-so-slightly towards the Uchiha. She was beginning to like what she was hearing.

"Now, there are a few people that matter, and I don't want him to find out about them. You know who they are, don't you?"

Although Sakura knew that Sasuke was referring to her and Naruto, she loved to hear him say that she mattered.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun, I don't remember. Who are the people that matter to you?"

Sasuke smirked. Ignoring her question, he continued.

"Itachi will stop at nothing to make my life more miserable than it already has been. You're not going."

Sakura huffed angrily once again. However, before she had a chance to protest, Sasuke turned to Naruto and Tsunade.

"I'm going after him…**alone**."

Tsunade sighed and waved her hand dismissively.

"Very well. I won't hold that against you this time since you spoke to me beforehand. I want you to contact me of send word out to me a day prior to your departure."

Sasuke bowed down to Tsunade.

"Sure."

As he turned and prepared to leave the Godaime's office, Naruto decided to speak up.

"Yo, Sasuke!"

Sasuke stopped walking and turned to face Naruto.

"What was that all about? You know, Sakura saying that she's a member of your family or something. Is she like, also part of your clan too or something?"

Sasuke stole a glance at Sakura who was already walking up towards him and Naruto.

"It's none of your business, dobe."

"Sasuke-kun."

"…"

Sasuke turned to face Sakura, who was now standing beside him.

"You promised that we could tell Naruto."

"…I meant in private, not with other people around."

"Tsunade-sama and Hinata can be trusted. You know that."

"Your teacher might tell the world about that after her sake drinking. People are most vulnerable when they are drunk. One glass of sake, and our secret's as good as out."

"HEY! RESPECT YOUR ELDERS!"

Everyone turned to look at Tsunade. Blushing, she replied.

"I-I mean, I'm not THAT much older than you young folks, judging by my appearance…but still, even though I'm only…t-twenty, I'm STILL older than you, so…"

Everyone sweat-dropped. Naruto bent over to Hinata.

"Who does she think she's fooling?" he whispered.

Hinata, blushing furiously, meekly shrugged her shoulders.

"Ah, forget it! Uchiha, tell us your little secret, whatever-it-may-be! I, the GODAIME, for crying out loud, COMMAND you to SPEAK! After you tell me, I swear upon the honor of my beautiful, young looking face, that I will limit myself to only HALF a glass of sake whenever I go sake drinking! If, for any reason, I were to tell anyone other than the people in the premises of this room, then I…I'll stop going to the plastic surgeon!"

Naruto blinked upon hearing the last part. _HAH! I KNEW IT!_

Sasuke sweat-dropped and cleared his throat loudly. Sakura, knowing that saying certain things would make her Sasuke-kun feel extremely uncomfortable, decided to speak for him.

"Naruto, Hinata, Tsunade-sama."

All eyes were on the young kunoichi that smelled of sunflowers-er, cherry blossoms. (Get it? Samurai Champloo!)

"Sasuke-kun and I are…well, you see, uh…"

Naruto pointed at her dumbly and interrupted.

"RELATED! That's why you guys are in he same family, but not yet, right?"

Everyone in the room sweat-dropped, except for Sasuke, who was having a hard time keeping his food down.

"N-No, Naruto, We are actually-"

"Engaged."

All eyes turned to Sasuke, who was standing coolly with his arms crossed and without a trace of emotion on his face.

Naruto was most definitely shocked, and so was Hinata. Tsunade, on the other hand, was smiling happily like she had just won the lottery or something.

"Hah!" she cried.

"I knew it! Jiraiya! Pay up!"

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow, whereas Sakura, on the other hand widened her eyes in shock. Had her teacher _betted_ on Sasuke and Sakura's personal relationship? She didn't know whether to be glad that her teacher believed in the possibility of her and Sasuke being together, or terrified that the Legendary-Sucker had won a bet. Times like this served as an omen.

"Tsunade, you promised that you wouldn't tell anyone."

"But Uchiha! I WON a bet! Jiraiya MUST know about this! I have a thousand yen riding on this bet! If you were to leave, then-"

"Old lady, you know that Ero-Sennin can't be trusted."

Sakura turned to look at Naruto.

"Naruto…you mean…you're not upset?"

Naruto looked down.

"Of course not! I mean…I'm happy if you're happy, Sakura-chan."

Sakura smiled softly at the ex-bimbo that stood before her. She hugged him tight as he warmly returned the hug. _You're a great guy. I remember a time when you were the all-time dunce at the Academy and among us rookies. But somehow, you've managed to turn everything around by all of your hard work and determination. You went from the dunce that everyone hated to the Hokage's successor, whom many respect. You're a great guy, and the most reliable friend a girl could ask for. I'm sorry that I couldn't acknowledge you as anything more than what you had hoped I would. _

"Thanks Naruto…kun." She whispered.

They released each other.

"No problem…Sakura…"

Sakura smiled. She knew that he had to stop himself from calling her Sakura-chan. They all went their separate ways after the meeting at Tsunade's office. As they exited, Sakura looked back at the office and smiled.

_Naruto…a guy like you deserves a special girl that has acknowledged you as a person from the very beginning. _An image of Hinata flashed through her mind. _She's liked you for who you were from the very beginning, not what you were. _Sakura smiled. _And she's always admired you from afar. You deserve better, and she deserves to have her feelings acknowledged by the one she loves most…**you**_.

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ComeComeParadise Corner:

As I thought! Not very many people read my author's note at the end! Well, for those of you that did, I love you oodles! Lols, Kay. Plz remember to **REVIEW! NO FLAMES!** I apologize if some characters came out OOC, so bear with me, I honestly tried!


	17. Chapter 17

Hey everyone! To those of you that have reviewed, I thank you all!

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Naruto looked out the window and watched as Sasuke and Sakura walked away, a foot apart from each other.

Hinata, seeing this could only feel depressed for Naruto-kun. She knew that he liked Sakura…and knowing that broke her poor heart. Sighing, she walked up to Naruto.

"U-uh Ummm….N-Naruto-kun?"

Naruto, startled by Hinata's soft-spoken voice flinched involuntarily. Trying to mask the fact that she had startled him, he turned around.

"Hmmmm?"

Looking down, the white-eyed beauty played with her fingers.

"W-Well, you see…umm….I-I-I was just wondering i-if you were alright…"

Closing his eyes, Naruto let out a long, deep, heavy sigh and looked up at Hinata smiling.

"Yah….I'm fine. Sakura-chan and Sasuke are getting along better than they have before he left us. They are happy, and I'm happy 'cause they're happy!"

He inwardly cringed when he instinctively added the "chan" suffix to Sakura's name.

Hinata frowned. _Naruto-kun…who are you trying to fool? It's obvious that you're upset…Why do you try to sound so cheerful?_

Tsuade felt the same way almost. She felt bad for the boy, but she knew from the start that it couldn't be helped. From the first few days that she knew him, she knew that Sakura wasn't the one for him. When she saw Naruto leave Sasuke and Sakura alone three years ago, she knew that Sakura and Naruto weren't meant to be. _Naruto…you're a very sensitive man. _

"Yo, Tsunade! Is it okay if I go now? I have some…things to do."

Tsunade smiled at him.

"Sure, go on ahead. Just be sure to get here tomorrow at five am sharp."

_After Sakura's training. _She mentally added.

Naruto smiled half-heartedly. After waving his hand in the air, he ran off.

"Bye Tsunade! Bye Hinata!"

Both women waved back at the blonde and watched him leave. They both knew that he was upset, and they both knew that things couldn't be helped. Hinata, after seeing that Naruto was gone, began to fidget and become restless. Tsunade, noticing this, smiled.

"It's okay Hinata. You can go after him if you'd like to."

The young girl blushed a bright red and bowed before Tsunade.

"H-Hai! Th-thank you, Tsunade-sama!"

At that, she ran off in the same direction that Naruto had gone.

Tsunade smiled after them.

_Sakura belongs with Sasuke, just as Hinata belongs with Naruto. Time will only tell if things actually go that way with Naruto and Hinata…_

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Naruto walked down the streets of Konoha, occupied by his own thoughts. Anyone that knew him would know that something was up when they saw him in his gloomy, depressed state of mind. _Why? It's not like I wasn't expecting this to happen, but seriously? Why? _He was the one that was with Sakura when Sasuke was gone. He was the one that believed in her when no one else would. Heck, he was the one that liked her from the very beginning! He didn't wait till she got stronger after two and a half years before realizing what a wonderful person she was! So why? Why did things turn out this way? Naruto sighed, and that made his heart feel a little lighter than it was before. Inhaling deeply, he walked towards a park bench. (This happens to be the one where Sasuke calls Sakura annoying at the beginning of the series and where Sasuke places Sakura after kncking her out and saying thanks in ch. 181) He needed to think clearly.

_Okay Mr. Hokage….think. You've known all this time that Sakura-chan-er, Sakura's feelings for you ol' buddy Sasuke has been unwavering for who-knows-how-long. You knew that things would turn out this way because you are SMART! After all, the Hokage knows best…So you'd better stop moping like a spoiled sport! Sakura's with the love of her life, the teme actually HAS hormones, and you are now SINGLE! Think of all the possibilities! _

Naruto sighed miserably. He knew that it was all true, but seriously didn't feel better at all.

CRUNCH!

Naruto looked up, startled by the sound. _I must be way out of it…to think that I have overlooked the chakra of someone else! _He grabbed his kunai and looked around warily.

"D-Don't worry, Naruto-kun! I-I-It's me!"

Sighing, Naruto put his kunai away and sat back down.

"Hinata…what are you doing here?"

The heiress blushed crimson as she played with her fingers, avoiding eye-contact with Naruto.

"I-It's just…w-well…you see….I-I was worried about y-you."

Naruto looked down. Hinata sighed quietly.

"Y-you left in s-such a hurry…a-and I was concerned…"

She looked down and away from Naruto.

"…a-and I saw your face…"

She lowered her voice.

"Y-you must really be u-upset, huh?"

Naruto looked up, surprised.

"How did you know, Hinata?"

Hinata stopped playing with her fingers and closed them into fists.

"I-I know how it f-feels…to love someone t-that you know y-you can't have…"

Her fists shook, and her voice was barely above a whisper.

Naruto's eyes widened in wonder.

"Hinata, I-"

"…a-always watching from a-afar, a-and knowing t-that no matter what you d-do, n-no matter w-what you say…t-that the person you love will s-still only have eyes for s-someone else."

Naruto stood up. He had never seen this side of Hinata before, and after hearing all of her words, he felt bad for her.

"Hinata." He stated boldly.

"Who on Earth would be so dense and not notice you after all that? I swear that whoever this person is, I'll MAKE him acknowledge you! I'll tell him that he's missing out on a lot! I mean, look at you! You're so heart broken! I won't forgive whoever did this to you! I can't! I'm gonna kick his ass for you if that's what it takes!"

Hinata looked down.

"Naruto-kun…y-you won't do that…y-you just can't…"

"Well, why not? Obviously this person is VERY idiotic! He deserves a good ass-kicking from the Hokage himself! Just tell me his name! Who is he! Who's this son-of a-"

"N-Naruto-kun…you _can't_."

Frustrated, Naruto placed himself right in front of the Hyuuga.

"Why not!"

Hinata blushed a deep red. Her heart was beating so hard that she could've sworn that if it had been beating any harder, that it'd pop right out of her chest! (But we wouldn't want that to happen now, would we?)

"W-Well…y-you see…"

She gulped, as she lowered her voice to a mere whisper.

"T-this person…is _you…_"

There was an awkward silence, and Hinata wanted to die right then and there. She wanted to disappear, and to run away, but her feet wouldn't budge. She considered teleporting somewhere else, but her hands wouldn't move, and once again, her feet wouldn't budge. Then she began to think drastic. The silence was getting to her, and she could've sworn that a couple of tumbleweeds had rolled by. She was almost _convinced_ that Naruto would reject her. She wanted to kill herself so that she wouldn't have to live with the humiliating feeling of being rejected by the one that she loved the most.

Naruto, however, didn't know what to say. I mean, Hinata liking him? He definitely didn't see that one coming. He wanted to think that it was all just a sick joke to get his mind off of Sasuke and Sakura, but he knew that Hinata wasn't that kind of a girl. He was speechless. He knew that he wouldn't be able to return her feelings at the moment, but seriously thought that he should give her a chance. The last thing he wanted to do was be responsible for breaking a girl's heart and making her live through the hell that he was feeling about Sasuke and Sakura. She was too sweet a thing to have to go through that.

"Hinata…"

The heiress looked up nervously. His voice was serious, and she honestly thought that Naruto would reject her. She bit her fingernail.

"U-Uh…y-yes?"

Naruto smiled at her.

"Thanks…you know, for being there."

She smiled and looked away.

"N-No problem, N-Naruto-kun!"

The two of them spent the rest of the afternoon sitting on the bench and talking about life, their friends, and getting to know each other.

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_Meanwhile, with Sasuke and Sakura…_

The two of them were helping rebuild the Academy.

"Sasuke-kun?"

"hn?"

"I wonder how Naruto feels after we told him…"

Sasuke grunted as he lifted a couple of metal beams. Sakura continued.

"I mean, you saw his face, right? I can't help but feel bad for him."

Sasuke continued working.

"Sasuke-kun! Are you listen-"

"He'll get over it."

Sakura sighed. Now that they were engaged and all, you'd think that Sasuke would be a _tad_ more emotional towards his future wife.

"What I mean to say is-"

"He'll be fine."

Sakura groaned and sighed.

"You're right, Sasuke-kun! I mean, Hinata seems to be better for him than I am. She seems to like him…"

"Hn."

Sakura rolled her eyes. _Finally, a conversation!_

"Seriously though, Naruto needs to wake up! I mean, she's liked him for like, ever, and Ino and I would always be dropping some OBVIOUS hints for him…do you think he'll find out eventually? You-know, on his own?"

"Sakura. Help me lift this."

Sakura grudgingly helped him out. Their "conversation" wasn't going as well as she had hoped.

"I mean, her feelings need to be acknowledged! She's liked him from the very beginning! Before we were even getting along as a team, I'm sure! Why should she be treated as only a friend when she deserves way, WAY more?"

"…" Sasuke continued working.

"Sasuke-kun!"

"Hn."

Sakura frowned angrily. They were both lifting a giant metal beam that required the strength of both of them to lift. Upset at Sasuke, she let go of her side of the beam. However, Sasuke didn't seem to notice to increase of weight, and he kept strolling merrily along, as if her lack of support didn't affect anything at all. Sakura groaned yet again.

"Sas-"

"It all depends on whether or not the dobe realizes what she feels."

_All this just to get an answer out of him…and to keep our "conversation" going…this is all truly pathetic…_At that thought; she couldn't help but chuckle silently. It was, after all Sasuke.

Sasuke set down the metal beam by the drills. Sakura looked off into the distance. The sun was beginning to set, and it was starting to get late.

"Sakura. Let's go. It's late."

Sighing, Sakura skipped to catch up with the Uchiha, who was already half-way down the road.

"Okay, Sasuke-kun!"

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Naruto and Hinata had been talking, and Hinata had never felt at ease with Naruto before. They both realized that they had quite a bit in common. They both sought to be acknowledged, and they both loved ramen. That last one got Naruto really excited. Before long, their conversation was interrupted by the sound of a low growl. Naruto blushed.

"Haha! I guess my stomach's calling! Dinner time! Hey, Hinata, do you wanna go grab a bite to eat with me?"

Hinata blushed before smiling sweetly.

"O-O-Okay! S-sure!"

Naruto asking Hinata out? Neither one of them was really used to that, but change isn't always a bad thing. IT was just something that the two of them would have to get used to!

The two strolled merrily along. The sound of Naruto's stomach growling kept the two of them entertained.

When they finally arrived at their destination-Ichiraku-the two of them were profoundly disappointed to see that the ramen stand was demolished. (It's cuz of the war, okay?)

"N-No….This can't be happening! What the hell am I supposed to eat now? Hinata! We're gonna staaaarrrrvveeee!"

Hinata sweat-dropped.

"I-It's okay, Naruto-kun. I-I can cook you something if you'd like…Our kitchen j-just got rebuilt…"

Naruto stood up slowly, only to hear his stomach growl once more.

"Sure, okay, just about anything sounds good right now."

Hinata blushed (again). They walked in silence to her house with Naruto's growling stomach entertaining them along the way…

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Sasuke and Sakura arrived at her house.

"So…Sasuke-kun…I guess that this is gonna be the last day that I'm gonna see you here…"

Sasuke sighed.

"You know, Sakura…you really are annoying…"

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Hn."

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow at her. Hearing his famous "catch phrase" come out of her? He definitely wasn't used to that.

"I'm not leaving tomorrow…I'm gonna wait and train until I'm strong enough to face him."

Sakura's eyes lit up hopefully.

"So you mean-"

"Yeah…I won't be gone tomorrow. Don't worry."

Sakura looked around to make sure that no one was around. After being sure that she and Sasuke were the only ones there, she leapt up and threw her arms around him.

"I'm so glad! You know how hard it is for me to live without you, right?"

Sasuke sighed as she let go. Looking into her eyes, he couldn't help but smirk. Poking her forehead with his index finger, he said.

"You really are…_annoying._"

Before she had a chance to protest, Sasuke vanished into thin-air as he teleported away from her.

Sakura sighed as she subconsciously brought her hand up to her forehead.

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ComeComeParadise Corner:

Hey everyone! Ch. 17 is UP! Woot! So yah… **Plz remember to review! And remember that I don't take any crap from anybody, so don't bother to flame me! Plz and Thank you! Love yas! **


	18. Towels galore!

ComeComeParadise: The long awaited update is here, so please, sit back, AND REVIEW!

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Sakura woke up the next morning at exactly 6:15 AM. She sighed as she groggily dragged herself into her bathroom for her morning shower. She hadn't been training for a while, and she felt WAY out of shape. Stepping onto the scale, she breathed a sigh of relief. Apparently, she gained five pounds. Although she was upset by the fact that the five pounds she gained wasn't muscle weight, but, rather, _fat_, she was somewhat grateful.

_It could've been worse…_

As she finished off her shower, Sakura heard a cat hissing loudly and a loud curse. (Her hearing ability baffles me.) Instantly recognizing the voice as Sasuke's, Sakura quickly grabbed a towel, wrapped it around herself, and ran out onto her balcony.

"Sasuke-kun! What are you doing here?"

Sasuke instantly looked up, in the direction from where the voice came from. He was SHOCKED to see HIS Sakura wearing little more than a TOWEL, hovering above him from her balcony. He instinctively glanced around the street, making sure that he was the only one there. He didn't want anyone else to see Sakura wearing a towel. He decided on his own, that was his right alone.

"Sakura. Let me in."

Sakura blushed as she looked down at what she was wearing. _In this?_ She, too was well aware of the fact that she was only wearing a towel. She glanced back at Sasuke, and her face told Sasuke exactly what she was thinking. He couldn't help but smirk.

"Sakura. I don't have all day. We still need to help rebuild the city, remember?"

Sakura couldn't help but blush even harder. She didn't know why, she just did.

"R-Right. Okay."

She exited her balcony, and right when she was about to grab some clothes to put on, an evil thought crossed Inner Sakura's mind.

_Wait a minute-hold on a sec! This is my chance to prove to myself that Sasuke-kun has hormones! I mean, C'mon! A pretty girl like me in nothing more than a towel? What guy with hormones can resist me? And besides, we're gonna get married one day, and there's no one else in this house, other than me! Too easy!_

Sakura pulled her short hair back into a low, tiny ponytail, exposing her neck. She kept her towel on, and wrapped it around herself, tight in an effort to show off the curves that she had developed over the years. She approached her door, and smirked when her hand touched the door knob.

_Alright, Sakura! This is the moment that you've been waiting for all morning! Today, we're gonna see if Sasuke-kun over there truly has hormones! It's now or never, so don't screw up, darn it!_

On the other side of the door, Sasuke was slowly but surely growing impatient. He didn't like the fact that he was waiting outside of Sakura's door. People would get the wrong idea! _Uh…don't you mean, the **RIGHT** idea? _

"Awww, crap."

Sasuke muttered. It was only 6:45 in the morning, and he was already having an argument with his inner-self. However, his little argument with himself didn't have much of a chance to get too far, because before he knew it, Sakura's door swung open, revealing Konoha's prettiest cherry blossom IN A TOWEL.

_Arf! Arf! Arf! She's HAWT! _(Inner Sasuke speaking. OOC, but this IS INNER Sasuke, so….besides, he's a GUY, and guys can be like that!)

"Damn strait."

Sasuke muttered. Sasuke was expecting Sakura to come down FULLY DRESSED so that he could leave with her to go rebuild the city. Sakura had a TOWEL wrapped around her, and it was CLINGING to each and every single one of her curves. The fact that she was wearing a sexy, seductive looking smirk on her face didn't help much, either. Sasuke stood there, frozen in his tracks, and he wore a stony poker-face as he inwardly gaped at what he was seeing. Sakura smirked even more, and she grabbed Sasuke's arm and gently pulled him into the living room while closing the door behind them.

When Sakura turned her back to him, Sasuke slowly and silently gulped. Her movements were graceful and as she walked over to him, he mentally noted that she seemed to be gliding over to him instead. She had the grace and the posture of a kunoichi. Clearing his throat, Sasuke asked

"What were you doing in only your towel back there? Suppose someone other than me happened to walk by, what would happen?"

Sakura felt her smile slightly crumble, but managed to keep it up. Trying to stick to her plan, Sakura slowly walked over to Sasuke, slightly, but gracefully swinging her hips as she walked. She sat herself down right next to Sasuke, and snuggled herself even closer. Sasuke felt his face flaring up, but if you looked at him, his face wouldn't look any different from the way it usually looked. Sakura, however, didn't notice this, for she was trying to be as seductive as she possibly could. She knew that it wasn't in her nature, but she desperately wanted to know how Sasuke would react. Did he have hormones? Could his future wife TURN HIM ON? Did he even have an on/off switch? Boxers? Underwear? NEITHER? There were many things that she wanted to know.

She rested her head on his shoulder and whispered.

"I don't know…but you were the one that showed up, so that's all that matters to me."

Sasuke sighed.

"Sakura…we should get going. I want to train after we finish repairing Ichiraku."

Sakura bolted up.

"Oh right! I totally forgot! I haven't trained for DAYS!"

Sakura ran up the stairs and started to change and get ready. As she pulled on her boots, she FINALLY realized that she had abandoned her plan on seducing Sasuke! She silently cursed.

_Damn! He's good! I totally forgot!_

Strapping on her shuriken holster, Sakura slowly walked down the stairs. Sasuke watched her walk down and sighed.

_She almost had me that time…_

He made a mental note to not invite himself into her house when she' only wearing a towel.

They walked in silence.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun?"

"hn?"

"Uhh…I was just wondering…is Ichiraku seriously, uh…"

"hn."

Sakura sighed.

"Poor Naruto…"

"He'll live."

Sakura stopped herself in front of Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun! You could _at least_ be a little more considerate! This is Naruto we're talking about!"

"Exactly."

Sakura groaned as they continued walking over to the Ichiraku place.

"But Naruto's your teammate….was your teammate…and he's your best friend…"

"…and your point being…?"

"Shouldn't you be a little more considerate about him?"

"…"

"Sasuke-kun…"

"We're here. Help me chop the wood."

Sakura sighed. _He's never gonna change…_

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_Meanwhile…_

Naruto was sorting some papers and ranking various requests as either an "A", "B", "C", or "D" mission. Tsunade was watching him.

_Hahaha! Now this little sucker'll have to do ALL the paperwork! WOOHOO!_

"Naruto."

Naruto looked up at the woman.

"What do you want?"

Ignoring his rudeness, Tsunade continued.

"Do you still have that necklace?"

Naruto looked at her dumbfounded.

"What necklace?"

"W-Well…you know…THAT necklace…"

"C'mon! I don't have all day!"

Tsunade bent over and whispered.

"The necklace that I lost to you on a bet…"

"OH! THAT ONE! You meant the one that you, the Legendary Sucker lost to me, the sixth Hokage! The Rokudaime!"

Tsunade sighed.

"Yah, I have that necklace. Why?"

"Promise me that you wont loose it. Guard it with your life, as I did with it. And also, I want you to give it to your successor. My grandfather, the first Hokage gave it to me. In a way, it's like…I don't know…the heart of Konoha, I guess."

Naruto stood up and did the Rock Lee good guy pose.

"Have no fear! I'll keep that promise!"

At that, Naruto's teeth went PONG! Looking at Tsunade with a startled look on his face, he said.

"It went PONG! What kind of teeth do that? Isnt it supposed to go ping?"

Tsunade sighed. Hinata, who had been there the entire time giggled. Naruto looked at Hinata with a smile.

"Hey Hinata! Do you wanna go out for some ramen after this?"

Hinata blushed instantly as she stammered.

"B-But Ichiraku is g-gone!"

"I know that, I meant ramen at your place!"

Tsunade's sweat-drop grew even bigger. _That kid…_

Hinata merely giggled.

"O-Oh…right, okay. After you finish ranking the requests, o-okay?"

Naruto smiled.

"Hey Hinata! Looks like you're finally growing some backbone! You're a lot more confident now!"

Hinata's eyes grew big as saucers and her face turned Sakura's hair-pink. Naruto complimented her! THE Naruto that she's been in love with for practically forever COMPLIMENTED HER!

"Thanks Naruto-kun."

Her eyes widened in amazement, and so did Naruto's.

"Hinata! Y-You…you didn't stutter!"

Hinata gasped softly.

"Y-You're right!"

Naruto chuckled.

"Well…almost! This is great Hinata! You're changing for the better, not the worse!"

Tsunade smiled at the two of them.

_IT appears that hanging around Naruto has given her the backbone and confidence that she needs…she's come a long way, but still has a ways to go…and it seems that Naruto has mellowed out a little…all of this happened within a day of them getting to know each other…this is good for them both._

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That day, after they had finished building the frame of the new Ichiraku, it was 5:50 PM. Sasuke and Sakura were glad that they had plenty of time left for training. They decided to take off into the woods and train. After training, Sakura was happy and felt rejuvenated and refreshed after she had not trained for so long. It felt great for her to throw a kunai again, and she loved the feeling of achingness in her joints. She missed that feeling, strange as it may seem. Sasuke, on the other hand wasn't quite as thrilled. He _knew_ that he could do better, and he _knew_ that his performance of the day was rather poor compared to what he normally would accomplish. He had tried to gain power the "cheating" way by going to Orochimaru. Now, he was working at least five times as hard as he had been when he was at Sound.

_I'm never gonna beat him in this state…I have to train harder…improve…otherwise, I'm just wasting my time…_

He glanced over at Sakura who was smiling happily and walking beside him.

_I have to kill him…and protect her, so she'd be safe…I just know that if he finds out about us, that he'd come after her too…and kill her, just like what he did to my clan…_

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ComeComeParadise Corner:

Alrighty! Chapter 18 baby! Please review everyone! I'm well aware that Sasuke was a tad OOC in some parts of this chapter, but I truly did try! Please review everyone! And remember not to flame me! Cuz if you flame me, then your flames will set my computer on fire! Okay…anyways….

REVIEW! No reviews no update! BUAHAHAHA!

Well anyways, I love you all, and chapter 19….iono…I have a school field trip this week, so I'll be gone ALL WEEK, so you'll just have to see…


	19. Chapter 19

Hey everyone! Just wanted to let you guys know that I LOVE YOU ALL! Thanks truly, for reviewing!

And a note to my lovely anonymous reviewers:

...: Uhh…since I didn't want to post up your email address to the public, uh…yah. Um, About making Sasuke a bit colder-he likes Sakura now, remember? And now, with Orochimaru dead, and Sakura as his future wife, Sasuke has some weight lifted off of his shoulders. He FINALLY realizes that Sakura truly loves him, and knowing something like that can change a person. Besides, I don't think that Sasuke's THAT OOC, is he?

Sakura: Yah, me too!

Yes, I know, I FINALLY decided to respond to my anonymous reviewers! Hah! I'm THAT stupid!

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Sasuke decided to wake up the next morning at 2:00 AM to prepare to train. Because the entire country was wrecked and in the process of repairs, Sasuke didn't find any suitable training grounds till 2:45. Sighing, he plopped right down beside an all-too-familiar bench.

_Great…I guess that I'm gonna have to train on concrete today……………ugh. Why didn't I plop myself down on that bench instead of this floor?_

Glancing over at the bench, Sasuke's eyes widened.

"Huh…"

Sasuke decided to get up. As he got up, his eyes never left the bench. Memories came flooding back to him, and he frankly hated them all. His eyes narrowed.

"Hmph."

Sasuke wasn't too thrilled with the fact that he was getting slightly shaken up by a mere bench, but he felt that he very much had a right to be. That bench held some memories…both good and bad…even a little of both. He let out a sigh.

_This damn bench…_

He sat down on the bench. It was the same exact spot where he and Sakura had first conversed the day they became genins….and it was also the place where he had left her that night…

Sasuke let out a long, heavy sigh as he raked his hands through his messy black hair. He had called her annoying there in both of their exchanges.

_Wasn't I here to train?_

Sasuke smirked as he got up.

_No matter what I think about, she somehow finds her way back into my mind…_

"Sakura…you really are annoying…"

At that, Sasuke walked off to find another place to train. That bench held many memories of him and Sakura, and Sasuke thought that it'd be best to leave that area alone.

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_Meanwhile at Tsunade's office, Tsunade, surprisingly, isn't sleeping. She and Shizune are both up, and wide awake; a conversation is taking place between Naruto and Tsunade._

"Here's the list of the places that are rebuilt and fixed Naruto…"

"_Ahem_."

"…_sama._"

Shizune added grudgingly. Ever since day one, the title of Hokage has gone to the ramen-loving dork's head.

_Pffft…sama…_

Tsunade chuckled. _He's falling right into character._

Naruto read over the list silently, suddenly, he began to tremble violently.

"There…th-there's gotta be a m-mistake…."

Tsunade cocked an eyebrow at him. _He must be having a seizure…_She silently was thankful that both she and Shizune were medic-nins.

"There…"

"Wh-what's wrong, Naruto?" Shizune asked.

"Sama, lady, sama!"

Shizune sighed.

"Naruto-sama, wh-"

"THERE"S GOTTA BE A MISTAKE!" Naruto interrupted.

Tsunade slammed her hands down forcefully onto her desk…

"WHAT'S WRONG!"

…only to have it completely SHATTER upon contact…having monstrous strength wasn't always a good thing…that was the seventh desk that month. Naruto and Shizune stared at her big-eyed. O.O

Tsunade, realizing what she had done whipped her head away from her desk and at the two other people in the room.

"U-uh…ahem…I mean, uh…what's wrong with the list, Naruto?"

"So there's another reason why they call you the legendary sucker? Wow…that sucks."

A vein popped in Tsunade's head.

"Naruto, if you don't shut up and tell me what's wrong with the damn list, them pretty soon, you'll end up looking like my desk."

Naruto glanced over at the pile of rubble that lay beside the Godaime. _It's all sawdust now…_He couldn't help but grimace when he imagined an image of himself in the same position as the…sawdust.

"Like I said, there HAS to be a mistake with that list!"

"Which is…?"

Naruto stuck the list in front of Tsunade and stabbed his finger at it.

"ICHIRAKU ISNT FULLY REPAIRED YET!"

Shizune and Tsunade fell/toppled over…anime style!

"N-Naruto-_sama_…it made more sense to repair and rebuild the important buildings in Konoha first in case another enemy attacks us. We are very vulnerable at the moment…seeing that our entire village is in ruins still. That's why we rebuilt that academy, weapons shops, scroll shops, and other places." For an extremely pissed person, Shizune talked with an amazingly calm voice.

"Then why isn't Ichiraku done yet? The people are gonna starve! _I'm_ gonna starve! You can't starve the HOKAGE now, can you? I mean, I _AM_ the leader of this village! Besides, Old Ero-Sennin's PORN BOOK SHOP was completely repaired just yesterday! How is Hentai more important that RAMEN?"

Tsunade cocked an eyebrow at Naruto.

"Wait-**ComeCome to have some Fun-Fun all day and/or (preferably and) all night** **long** is already rebuilt?" (hahaha! I made that up! It's the name of the place where Jiraiya sells his books!)

Naruto angrily nodded his head.

"That fool must've forced some people to rebuild it with the other important places…what a DOBE."

Everyone sighed heavily.

_Meanwhile at the ComeCome ti have some Fun-Fun all day and/or (preferably and) all night long book store…_

Jiraiya sneezed.

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Sasuke had finished honing his skills and training a little early and was making his way towards Sakura's house. He neared her house and hesitated before knocking on her door. He remembered the previous day's event and felt a blush slowly make its way across his cheeks.

_Admit it. You liked it._

"No way."

Before his inner-self had a chance to argue back, Sasuke quickly knocked on Sakura's door. He gulped as the door opened. He felt a wave of relief when he saw Sakura standing by the door…fully dressed. Yup, leave it to Sasuke to be relieved to see a pretty girl fully dressed rather than almost nekkid.

Sasuke cleared his throat. Sakura, taking this as a cue to talk, quickly spoke.

"O-Oh! Uh, we should go now, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke nodded and began to walk towards Ichiraku, not bothering to wait for Sakura to close/lock her door and catch up. He stuffed his hands in his pockets. He made no effort to turn around and face Sakura when he heard her footsteps rushing to catch up to him. When Sakura had caught up with him, he mentally noted that she took less time to catch up with him than she did last time.

"C'mon, Sakura. We need to go help rebuild Ichiraku, or else the dobe will go nuts."

Sakura nodded and smiled.

_Sasuke-kun…in his own jerky way, he really does care about Naruto…but what about me?_

Sasuke, as if he read her mind, took his hand out of his pocket and held hers…after making sure that no one else was around, of course. Sakura, despite the fact that Sasuke was holding her hand, couldn't help but sigh. Although the Uchiha prodigy was holding her hand, he wasn't doing it the romantic way as she had hoped he would. Sure, he did it out of his own free will, and sure, their fingers were intertwined, but the thing was, he wasn't caressing it romantically at all. Instead, he was using his hand to "pull" Sakura and cause her to move at a faster pace. Sakura couldn't help but sigh irritably.

_Seriously! What is it about Sasuke-kun that causes me to feel butterflies every time I see him?_

"Sakura."

"Yah?"

"After we finish our share of repairs today, we should train together…and maybe have a couple of spars."

Sakura smiled and let out an exhausted sigh.

_Oh yah._

"Sure."

_He's Sasuke. He has his own unique ways of doing things…_

Sasuke smirked and they both arrived at the Ichiraku site.

…_and he smirks a lot when he should be smiling instead…_

Sasuke knew that he wasn't ready to take down his brother yet. Being in Konoha and being with Sakura helped him realize that. He needed to be patient…and trust himself.

Sakura watched Sasuke hammer on a piece of wood and smiled gently.

…_and it's so beautiful whenever he lets out one of his rare, genuine smiles._

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_With Naruto and Hinata:_

Naruto exited the Hokage tower in a happy mood. He wasn't quite sure why, but he was happy nonetheless. He stopped walking when he saw Hinata standing on the path, waiting for him.

"Oh! Hey Hinata!"

Blushing, the heiress replied.

"Hey, N-Naruto-kun."

_She's getting there…_

"Ichiraku's not completely repaired yet, so it looks like I'm eating at your place, again tonight."

Hinata smiled.

"And you want me to c-cook you some ramen, r-right, Naruto-k-kun?"

Naruto looked at her confused.

"Yah, if it's not too much trouble…why?"

Hinata looked off into the distance.

"Because…you always are e-eating ramen, Naruto-kun. You practically l-live off of that s-stuff…I-I hardly ever see you eating anything else…"

Naruto put his hands behind his head and chuckled a bit.

"Hahaha…You know…I think you're right. I _do_ practically live off of that stuff. Crazy, huh?"

Hinata nodded quietly. Naruto glanced over at her and smiled warmly.

"You know…I had no idea that you had a sense of humor Hinata."

Hinata turned her head and looked up at Naruto looking surprised.

"Huh? N-No, I don't, really."

Naruto let out another laugh.

"Of course you do! Everyone has one, even Sasuke. I just was a little surprised that you would say something like that."

Hinata blushed.

"N-No! I mean, I didn't mean to insult you or anything! I-I just-"

"Relax…I wasn't insulted at all! I mean, it's true, I DO practically live off of ramen, and that was kinda funny! Besides, even if I was insulted…I know you wouldn't have meant it. You're not that kind of a girl. You're too sweet."

Hinata felt her cheeks grow hotter. _Naruto-kun…did he just call me…sweet?_

Naruto realized what he had said, too and was blushing as well. There was an awkward silence between the two before Naruto broke it by clearing his throat and speaking up.

"Ahaha…S-So! What's for dinner, Hinata?"

Hinata let out a giggle and replied softly.

"Guess, N-Naruto-kun."

Naruto paused to scratch his head.

"Uh…Ramen?"

Hinata nodded, and Naruto let out another chuckle.

"Sounds good to me!"

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Sasuke and Sakura were both exhausted and panting…and no, they weren't "reviving the clan"…at least not yet! Heeheehee…The two had just finished sparring. The winner of the spar was as predicted-Sasuke. And although Sasuke proved to be victorious in their spar, he knew that he could do better. Wherever Itachi was, Sasuke knew that it wouldn't be long before he would be able to close the gap of power between them. The last time they've met, it hadn't changed a bit. This time, Sasuke was certain that it had narrowed. Fighting for the sake of the one he loves proved to be a better alternative to fighting for vengeance. He had a real purpose now, and that was to defend and protect everything that mattered to him-and all that lay in one person: Sakura. Sasuke, after training for weeks with that purpose in mind, was well aware of the rapid pace at which he was improving and getting stronger. Comparing his rate of improvement to when he had only revenge on his mind, Sasuke realized and knew that killing his brother with the thought of protecting Sakura in mind was a lot better than killing his brother because he killed first.

"Sakura…"

Sakura turned to look at Sasuke, surprised.

"Hm?"

Sasuke stopped walking and waited for Sakura to be right behind him. After sensing that she was, he finally said,

"Thank you." _For everything you've done and given me…_

At that, he continued walking ahead, leaving a very confused Sakura behind.

_That man…_

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Meanwhile, in a land far, far away…

"Foolish baby brother…how much longer must I wait…?"

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ComeComeParadise Corner:

Dun Dun DUN! Who is this person in a land far, far away? XD Well, there you have it kids! Chapter 19! WOOT! I even got some NaruHina in there! Well, I honestly hope that you guys review! No reviews, no update! BUAHAHA!

Anyways…**REVIEW! NO FLAMES! And most importantly….**

**REVIEW!**

THAT'S ALL, FOLKS! PLZ AND THANK YOU!


	20. Just this once

ComeComeParadise: Thank you for all your reviews! After all this time, I STILL can't believe that we're already on chapter 20 of this…story! And yes, I want to thank all of you guys, anonymous or not, for reviewing! Your reviews let me know to keep writing, and they seriously give me a reason to keep writing this story! And no, I'm not just saying all this to sound sappy or anything. Thanks you all truly for reviewing, and don't forget to keep reviewing! They're LITERALLY what keep the story going. If a story sucks, people generally wouldn't review it at all. So yah, the 300 plus reviews I have are really…SOMETHING! THANKS! I love you all!

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The wind blew and ran through Uchiha Itachi's hair. As his hair blew behind him, his cold eyes looked off into the distance. He looked the way he always had looked, but this time, something was different. His eyes…

How long has he been waiting for Sasuke to fight him? Ever since the day he decided to pay Konoha a "little visit" as he would call it, he hadn't head from his brother since. He was growing impatient…He glanced down at his hands. They were stained a vague redish-brown color...not that he could see it or anything. These days, Itachi's world was a lot darker than it normally was.

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_Konoha._

Sasuke hammered down the last nail into the building that both he and Sakura had been repairing and rebuilding over the past few weeks. Sakura watched happily. Time's sure flown by quickly, and she knew that all too well. Back in the day, when she and Sasuke were both part of Team 7, she'd never guess that she'd one day be able to call the dark-haired avenger that she'd admired her future _husband_. As she watched, something caught her eye.

"Sasuke-kun, is that another wound on your arm?"

Sasuke winced. _How did she find out?_ He'd been barely able to contain all the pain. _Did she see me wince? Was it that obvious?_

"…"

Sakura walkedup to Sasuke and gently placed her hand on his arm.

"Sasuke-kun…this is a bad wound…you should let me treat it."

Sasuke lowered his hand that was holding the hammer and looked away. Sakura's eyes saddened seeing this.

"Here, let me finish hammering that for you."

"Sakura, I'm fine."

Sakura, seeing Sasuke in such pain couldn't bear it.

"Sasuke-kun, who do you think you're fooling? You're in pain! You've been overdoing your training, haven't you? You KNOW that I can't bear seeing you suffer."

At that, Sakura walked up and boldly grabbed the hammer out of Sasuke's hands and continued hammering the final nail. Sasuke, seeing this, sighed.

"Sakura…I'm fine. It's just a wound. Don't worry about me so much. I'm the man, Sakura. I have to be strong, not necessarily for my own sake, but for the both of us."

After finishing his last sentence, Sasuke gently took the hammer out of Sakura's hands and finished the hammering. Sakura, surprisingly, didn't put up much a fight in giving up the hammer. As he finished up the hammering, Sasuke glanced over at Sakura to see her standing still and not moving. Feeling concerned, he asked,

"What's wrong, Sakura?"

"…"

Sighing, Sasuke glanced around, making sure that no one else was around. After seeing that no one was in the area, Sasuke walked up to Sakura and placed his arms around her protectively in a hug.

"Sakura…cheer up, okay?"

Sakura looked up into his eyes.

"You're in pain, Sasuke-kun! How can I cheer up when you are pushing yourself too hard?"

Sasuke sighed.

"Simple. You're Sakura. Haruno Sakura." _Soon to be Uchiha Sakura. _He mentally added.

Sakura looked away and half-smiled. Seeing this, Sasuke continued.

"How could a girl whose name means 'spring cherry blossoms' be _not_ cheerful?"

"YO, SASUKE!"

Sasuke, hearing an obnoxious voice calling out to him in the distance, pulled away from Sakura and pretended to be cleaning up the area. Sakura, seeing this, smiled softly as she watched Sasuke's back.

_He's right. How could I NOT be cheerful? He really knows how to cheer me up...that, and how to make me feel miserable about myself. I don't get it. Am I that easy to read? He's so quiet, mysterious, even, and I still have difficulty trying to understand him. Am I like an open book in front of him?_

Naruto ran up to Sasuke and Sakura, with Hinata following close behind. Sakura, noticing this, smiled. Naruto walked around the building, inspecting it.

"Wow…so you two lovebirds are FINALLY done, eh?"

Sakura felt a blush creep across her face. Sasuke, on the other hand, remained emotionless and spoke to the dobe.

"Naruto…you promised that you wouldn't talk about that in public."

Letting out a nervous laugh, Naruto replied,

"Ahaha…relax, no one heard me. Gosh, Sakura-chan, I swear, this man…just like always, you have terrible taste in men, Sakura."

Sakura smiled, and Sasuke merely went "hmph."

Naruto turned to Hinata.

"Well, Hinata, I guess that we won't be eating dinner at your house anymore. Let's celebrate Ichiraku by eating here tonight! My treat!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"We just finished rebuilding this place, dobe. The people that work here need to settle in and bring their supplies. My guess is that you won't be able to eat here till it opens sometime in March."

Naruto's face crumbled.

"WHAT?"

"You heard him, dobe." Sakura said jokingly.

Naruto sighed and stuck Lee's "good guy pose."

"FINE! I will wait while I am still youthful! C'mon, Hinata!"

"O-Okay Naruto-kun!"

At that, Naruto and Hinata left.

"Those two are coming along nicely." Sakura said.

"Hn."

"…"

"…"

A silence followed. Sakura let out a deep, long sigh. Surprisingly, she didn't feel irritated. Instead, during the silence that followed, she felt content. She didn't really know why-she usually couldn't stand silence. She glanced over at Sasuke and was surprised to see him looking right back at her. She wished that his eyes would show at least _some_ emotion, but the fact that they were both looking each other, and locked in an "intense" gaze was good enough for her, considering that it was Sasuke that she was dealing with. Sasuke broke the gaze by looking away. Making sure that his face was out of her view, he allowed his blush to fully creep over his face. Just that once. Clearing his throat, Sasuke decided to break the awkward silence.

"Sakura…let's train."

Sakura let out a soft giggle. The awkwardness in Sasuke's voice was just so…_him._ She smiled, knowing that it was already hard enough for him to show any emotion at all towards her.

_He's trying…and he really means well. _

She smiled as she ran up to Sasuke and threw her arms around him and hugged him. Sasuke grunted, partly because they were still in public, and partly because of the blush that was threatening to grace his cheeks-but mostly because they were in public. Sakura, noticing this, giggled softly and merely said,

"It's okay, Sasuke-kun. Just this once, okay? Just this once."

Sasuke smirked and nodded.

"Hn. Just this once."

They stood there together in silence…

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ComeComeParadise Corner:

OMG! Sorry about the short chapter! I just kinda wanted to save some things for the next chapter and/or future chapters as well. On another note: If you guys/gals want an idea of what's going to happen in the Itachi vs. Sasuke fight (coming…eventually! XD) Then pay attention to the first two paragraphs…that's if you wanna be spoiled! Well, like always, I'd like for all of you guys to…

**REVIEW!**

**(No flames-plz and thank you!) **


	21. Naruto's new office!

ComeComeParadise: OMG! You guys have no idea how much I love you all right now! I want to thank you all for the reviews and for reading this story and for following it for all this time! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!

And to my lovely anonymous reviewer:

Loli: Thanks! You're too sweet, really. But I guess that it's good that my fic is entertaining the many sasusaku fans that are out there!

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It was early in the morning. Sasuke, who'd been up during the past few hours grunted as he landed a kick on a nearby stone. Gently placing his foot down, he smirked with satisfaction as the stone slowly cracked, crumbled, and sort of exploded into tiny particles of powdery dust. How long has it been since Orochimaru was dead? Standing still, Sasuke gently inhaled and exhaled as he focused his mind on his fist. After inhaling sharply a third time, Sasuke snapped his eyes open and punched his fist into the ground. (Without using any chakra) Once again, he smirked with satisfaction when he looked down at the crater that he had formed. How much stronger has he become?

"Very impressive, Sasuke."

Taken by surprise, Sasuke whipped his head around in the direction from where the voice came from, sharingan activated. Seeing that it was someone he knew, he instantly de-activated his sharingan and sighed.

"Kakashi…"

"Yo."

Sasuke, deciding to ignore Kakashi, turned away from him and prepared to continue training. Kakashi, unfazed by his ex-pupil's rude behavior, continued to speak.

"I've been watching you. And I can quite honestly say that I'm impressed by your progress."

"…"

"So…how is it? Is fighting for the ones you love better than fighting for revenge or not?"

Inwardly, Sasuke flinched. _Did he find out…?_ However, he remained cool, calm, and collected. It helped that he had his back facing Kakashi.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Well, Sakura just wanted me to tell you that she brought home a home pregnancy test…and the result was positive. I see that you're already getting busy restoring your clan, kiddo."

Sasuke whipped his head around.

"What?"

Kakashi, smiling under his mask, merely replied,

"So it's true."

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Sakura woke up feeling refreshed that morning. Looking out the window, she was surprised to see that Sasuke wasn't there waiting like he usually was. Casually brushing that aside, Sakura decided to head over to Tsunade's office. It'd been a while since she had the time to talk to her sensei…and Naruto's inauguration was coming up. She tried to push her thoughts of Sasuke aside, and convinced herself that he was training.

Sakura walked into Tsunade's office and almost thought that she was in the wrong room. The entire office had changed dramatically. There was a ramen clock in the upper right corner of the room; a giant frog stuffed-animal bean bag that turned like an office chair would replaced the old chair where Tsunade would sit, and there were drawings of Naruto being number one and beating Sasuke at random things (like rock, paper, scissors) with motivational phrases written underneath everywhere. Sakura saw a blonde dot above the head of the froggie-chair, and assuming that it was Tsunade shouted out

"T-Tsu-Tsunade-sama?"

In an instant, the froggie-chair whirled around. Much to Sakura's surprise, it was NARUTO that was sitting in the chair. Doing his best Kakashi-imitation, Naruto casually said,

"Yo."

Sakura merely gaped. She was speechless.

"So whadd'ya think, Sakura-chan? Isnt this place just amazing now?"

Sakura gulped and merely shrugged.

"S-Sakura…."

Sakura turned her head towards the area from which the weak, tired voice came from. To her horror, it was TSUNADE, looking TOTALLY worn-out. There were bags under her eyes, her hair was in disarray, and she was slouching. Sakura's eyes widened in horror.

"Tsu-Tsunade-sama?"

Naruto, noticing her expression, merely chuckled and said,

"Haha! Yah! It's about time granny-Tsnuade decided to look her age!"

Tsunade had no energy left in her to protest.

"S-Sakura-chan."

Sakura turned to see Hinata.

"Oh-hey Hinata!"

Hinata smiled.

"All day and all night long…"

Everyone, especially Sakura, turned to look at Tsunade.

"Seconds…minutes…hours…days…weeks…"

Everyone looked at her confused. Tsunade's voice drawled and was full of exhaustion.

"Every single day…"

"What?" (Sakura)

"This kid…" Tsunade pointed her finger at Naruto.

"This KID…"

"Yah…?"

"Over and over…"

"WHAT?"

Tsunade looked at Sakura, eyes wide in fear.

"Sakura…I only said that he could add a little to the office to make himself feel more at home…a little! And this kid…he…he…"

"Yes?"

" J-JUST LOOK AT WHAT HE'S DONE!"

Sakura looked around and sighed.

"My grandfather…his office! Sarutobi-sensei's office! MY office! J-just look! LOOK! There's a RAMEN clock a-and a GIANT FROG FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!"

"Hey!"

Tsunade glared at Naruto, and Hinata merely giggled softly. Sakura, seeing this, sighed.

"It's okay, Tsunade-sama…I mean, it's his office, now. What can I do about it?"

Naruto crossed his arms across his chest and huffed triumphantly. Sakura, noticing this, smiled. However, this smile was short-lived once her eyes landed on a drawing of Naruto triumphantly rescuing a badly beaten-up Sasuke and declaring proudly that saving Sasuke was "such a nuisance." Shaking her head in disbelief, Sakura quietly muttered,

"Sasuke-kun's not going to be very happy once he sees this place…"

When Naruto turned around, Sakura silently whispered to Tsunade

"It's okay, Tsunade-sama. Sasuke will straighten this place up."

At that, she pointed at the drawings and winked. Tsunade smiled as she sighed a sigh of relief.

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Sasuke sat with Kakashi, explaining the circumstances between him and Sakura-and how Kakashi'd better not tell anyone.

Kakashi grinned under his mask and placed a hand on Sasuke's head-just like how he used to when he was younger.

"Sasuke…you've come a long way…"

Sasuke merely grunted as he removed Kakashi's hand from his head.

"…But you're still gonna chase after Itachi, am I right?"

"…"

Kakashi sighed.

"Sasuke..I told you several years ago right before you left…that revenge isn't the answer to anything…"

Glancing at his ex-pupil, he smiled.

"…but you already know that, don't you?"

Sasuke slowly nodded. Seeing this, Kakashi slowly got up.

"I'm glad." _So he's fighting for his loved ones instead…_

Looking back at Sasuke, he thought, _I'm pretty sure that you won't disappoint me anymore like what you did three years ago…_

"Sasuke."

"…"

"If you'd like, I can help train you. Meet me at the bridge tomorrow at 8."

At that, he walked off.

_He's changed…could it be that our little Sakura is a better teacher than I am?_

Smiling, Kakashi teleported to Jiraiya's shop.

_I'd better hurry and get myself a copy. I heard that ComeComeParadise volume 30 and the ComeComeViolence dvd is getting released today._

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On her way back home, Sakura passed by Sasuke's training grounds.

"Oh! Hey Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke glanced in her direction and nodded.

"I brought our lunch. Wanna eat now?"

"Hn."

Smiling, Sakura set down the food and her belongings by a nearby tree. Sasuke walked over and sat down beside her. They ate in silence.

"Kakashi offered to train me tomorrow. I'm meeting him at 8."

Sakura looked over at Sasuke surprised.

"O-oh, I'm glad! That means that we're all going to be training tomorrow!"

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow at her. Seeing this, Sakura continued.

"Kakashi-sensei invited Naruto and I to go train, also! I guess that it's gonna be another Team 7 reunion!"

"…another…?"

Sakura glanced over at Sasuke.

"O-oh right! I guess that that little 'reunion' we had during the Sound invasion doesn't count, huh?"

"…"

Sakura sighed, but she couldn't possibly be any happier. Team 7 meant a lot to her, and now, after over 3 years, they'll be reuniting for real and meeting as a team at last."

An image of Naruto's new office flashed before her mind. Sweat-dropping, she forced the image out of her head.

_I'll worry about that later…_

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ComeComeParadise Corner:

Hello! Another chapter done, and this time, it's longer!

**Should I have Itachi die after the battle or should I have him…well…not die?**

Well, if you wanna have a say, then you'd better vote! Lol…okay. Please everyone, remember to **REVIEW! No flames plz!**


	22. Showdown at Hokage Tower!

Kill Itachi: 11

Keep him: 6

So…this is Itachi's "fate" as it all stands so far…So yah. At the moment, he'll most likely be dying. (Although I love him to pieces…) Anyways, here's chapter 22 with a BANG!

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Sasuke and Sakura finished eating quickly. As they cleaned up in silence and disposed their trash, Sakura spoke.

"So Sasuke-kun, what do you want to do now?"

Sasuke shrugged and turned around, his back facing Sakura. Sakura, not one to be so easily discouraged, decided to continue.

"I mean, we've completed rebuilding Ichiraku and about 5 other stands…what else is there to do?"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…?"

The wind blew by and a couple of leaves blew by as well. One of the leaves landed on Sasuke's right shoulder. Sasuke, noticing the leaf, picked it up gently and smirked. While doing so, he set his sight on the Hokage tower. Sakura, seeing this began to panic. She'd just visited Naruto's office that morning, and after seeing how it looked after the "remodeling" that it had undergone, the last thing she wanted was for her beloved Sasuke-kun to witness such a horrid sight.

"…Sakura…I have an idea…"

As if on instinct, Sakura jumped in front of Sasuke, trying in vain to block his view of the Hokage tower. He was, after all, at least four inches taller than her.

"Wh-What, Sasuke-kun? What is it?"

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow at her. Had he noticed her sudden, strange behavior? You can bet your kunai that he had! However, since he was in a somewhat-lazy mood at the moment, he decided not to bother wondering.

"Well…we could visit the do-"

"-Dojo? Wow, Sasuke-kun, I had no idea that Konoha had a dojo! But still, wh-why don't you help me bring these containers back to my house?"

Sasuke smirked. Something was up, and he's gonna find out. Silently, he followed Sakura as he helped her carry the food containers that they ate from earlier.

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Meanwhile, Tsunade was handing over some more paperwork for Naruto to complete. Among the things that Tsunade gave Naruto, there was a little binder/notebook.

"Here. It's a book full of the newest recruits and their status, rank, etc. It's a good place to start. Just double-check it all."

Naruto took the book and silently flipped through it.

"Aburame Shino, Chuunin…Akimichi Chouji, Chuunin………..Haruno Sakura, Chuunin, Hyuuga Hinata, Chuunin…"

At the mention of her name, Hinata turned a light shade of pink…she just loved it when Naruto said her name. (how cute!)

"…Hyuuga Neji, JONIN…hmmmm….Uchiha Sasuke, Jonin…Yamanaka Ino, Chuunin…WTF!"

"…Is something wrong, Naruto?"

Naruto placed the book down and looked Tsunade right in the eye.

"How is Sasuke a JONIN?"

Tsunade sighed after looking right back at Naruto. Seeing him in the froggie office chair, Tsunade inwardly cringed.

"Well…as you well know, Sasuke went to the village of Sound."

"…uh, duh?"

Ignoring Naruto, she continued.

"He became a Jonin there, and since his abilities are up to par, I'm willing to make an exception just this once and acknowledge him as a Jonin of Konoha, regardless of the fact that he earned that rank at Oto. You, on the other hand, were always affiliated with Konoha. You left with Jiraiya when you were a genin, and you returned a genin. There's nothing that can be done about your rank."

Naruto sighed. She was right after all. After giving the matter some thought, however, his previous confusion was replaced by feelings of glee, pride, and success.

"Yo, Tsunade obaa-chan! I really did it, didn't I?"

"…? Did what?"

"I surpassed all the Hokage that came before me, even your sensei, AND your grandfather and even the FOURTH one! Boy, am I great or what?"

Hinata giggled at Naruto's behavior, and Tsunade was trying to control her rising fury. I mean, who'd want their late teacher, grandfather, AND the great-Yondaime to be talked about like that? However, Naruto wasn't done yet.

"I mean, think about it! I, the GREAT Rokudaime am the VERY FIRST genin to become Hokage! And you, Tsunade, can eat that to your grave! Ero-sennin too! He said that the only similarity that he saw between me and the fourth Hokage was our HAIR! Hah! I guess that I really AM a genius, to achieve the position of Hokage as a genin and all, huh?"

However, Naruto didn't have much of a chance to continue gloating because pretty soon, his "handsome" face was met by Tsunade's powerful fist, and although she wasn't using her full strength, the force that she punched Naruto with was enough to make him hit the door pretty hard.

"N-Naruto-kun!"

Naruto groaned as he picked himself up, and was fairly surprised to see Hinata right beside him. Smiling, he placed one of his hands on her head.

"Don't worry Hinata, I'm fine. I mean, I AM the Hokage, right?"

Hinata blushed as she smiled and meekly replied,

"R-Right…"

Naruto whipped his head around to face Tsunade.

"You! With all that strength of yours, you dare call yourself a woman?"

Tsunade merely snorted and turned away. Rubbing his head absent-mindedly, Naruto muttered,

"I swear, that woman…if she's really that strong…no wonder she's single…"

"Naruto…" Tsunade said.

"…I heard that. Let's pretend that never happened, okay?"

Naruto gulped.

"O-Okay."

Who would've known? Naruto, the Hokage that "surpassed all that came before him" was afraid of a woman. Too bad he didn't exactly surpass _everyone_ that came before him…I mean, he _was_ afraid of Tsunade.

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_Back with Sasuke and Sakura…_

Sakura had just finished washing the last of the food containers. As she turned back to face Sasuke, she was surprised to see that his eyes were focused directly on her. She felt a blush slowly find its way across her cheeks as she hesitantly looked back at Sasuke.

"Sakura…"

Sakura gulped and replied slowly…

"…y-yeah, Sasuke-kun?"

"…Your apron 's all wet."

Sakura could have fainted right there. _My apron? Was that what he was staring at all this time? What the fuck?_ Sakura felt anger and frustration boiling up inside her like nothing before. She'd never been upset at Sasuke like this before, but at the moment, she didn't really care. Raising her hand, Sakura prepared to slap Sasuke with the strength that she had inherited from the Godaime Hokage. To her surprise, however, her hand was stopped by the Sasuke, and although he stopped her hand with much difficulty, his face hardly bore any expression to tell that. Seeing this, Sakura let out a sigh of defeat.

"Sakura…"

"What Sasuke-kun?"

"We'd better get going."

"Okay, sure."

The two began their little walk. Sasuke was leading the way, and Sakura merely followed. It never occurred to her that she had no idea where they were going until later on when the Hokage Tower came into view.

"Hey, uh, Sasuke-kun?"

"hn?"

"Don't tell me that we're-"

"Hn."

Sakura sighed. _Oh great…_

"Y-You know, I heard that the weapon's shop is re-opening today…"

"…we can check it out later."

"…"

"Sakura, why don't you want to go to the Hokage Tower?"

Sakura froze in her tracks.

"W-Well…uh…"

"…"

"…you see…"

"We haven't seen the dobe for a while. I want to see how terrible the office has become."

"No…you don't."

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow at her.

"You see…I was there this morning…"

"…"

At that, Sasuke continued to make his was towards the Tower. Sakura let out yet another sigh of defeat. _Naruto is so going to be dead…_

Sasuke opened the door to the office, and as the door swung open, Sakura began to imagine the worst.

"…Dobe…"

Naruto swung around on his froggie chair and turned to face Sasuke.

"…Teme…"

"…guys…?" Poor, poor Sakura…

Sasuke stepped into the room and looked around at the new "decorations". Tsunade eyed the two intently, and Hinata prepared to take cover. Finally, Sasuke's eyes met Naruto's.

"So, Sasuke…what do you think of MY new office?"

"…"

"Sasuke…?"

"…"

"S-Sasuke-kun?"

"…"

"Uchiha…?"

"…"

"N-Naruto-kun?"

"…"

"Say someth-"

Instantly, Sasuke's head snapped up, his sharingan activated…

"…Usurakontachi…" (sp?)

…and his chidori appeared…

"…yes, teme…?"

…Hinata took cover…

"Remove those idiotic-looking posters…NOW."

…and Tsunade and Sakura prepared for the worst….

"Who do you think I am?"

…Naruto formed hand signs…

"DOBE…"

…poor Sakura. She always _was_ some-what the peacemaker between those two…

"I'm only gonna ask you once more…"

…Sasuke took a bold step forward…

"Forget it 'cuz it aint gonna happen you fool!"

…Naruto took a bold step forward…

"I mean, I AM the Hokage!"

Not being able to take it any longer, Sasuke charged strait at Naruto, chidori at hand. Naruto smiled evily.

"Transform! Eat this, Sasuke!"

At that, Naruto transformed into a very naked Sakura. Sasuke stopped dead in his tracks, and de-activated his sharingan. Sakura blushed angrily as her fury continued to boil. Everyone in the room was silent. Thank the good Lord that the windows weren't open. Seeing that his plan had worked, Naruto returned to his normal, clothed mind you, self. He flashed a victorious smile at Sasuke.

"Every man, regardless of how strong he is has at least one weakness. On top of that, there are three things that are a BIG no-no with shinobi. Care to guess what they are?"

"…"

" Women, money, and power. You, Sasuke, appear to have a weakness for one particular women."

Sasuke shot a glare at Naruto and began making hand seals for his signature Goukakyu no jutsu. However, right before he drew in a breath, Sakura stopped him.

"Sasuke-kun…I'll take care of that _dobe_."

At that, Sakura punched Naruto HARD, and he ended up hitting the steel doors and causing a _slight_ indent on them. And much to almost everyone's surprise, Sakura wasn't even using _half_ of the strength that she possessed.

"Owwww…..Sakura-chan!"

Poor NAruto…

"Don't you 'Sakura-chan' me, you baka! _Especially _after changing into well…me!"

Sakura growled. Still oblivious, Naruto naively continued.

"Did I make your boobs too small or something?"

That was it. Something inside of Sakura snapped. Roaring, Sakura and Sasuke surprisingly, began to charge at Naruto…only to be held back by Tsunade. Naruto, who was shielding himself from utter doom, removed his arms and looked up, surprised to see that Tsunade was stopping BOTH of his former teammates from killing him.

"Sasuke…Sakura…don't kill the Hokage."

"…"

"…"

Slowly, Tsunade lowered the two and released them. However, the moment Sasuke and Sakura were released, they continued to charge at Naruto. But once they were inches away from the blonde dobe, Kakashi appeared! (Yipee! Kaka-sensei)

"Yo."

The two of them calmed down a tad, and eyed their sensei dangerously.

"Kaka-sensei…please…get out of our way. There's someone we need to…take care of."

Naruto gulped. Kakashi, seeing this, sighed and placed his hands firmly on top of Sasuke and Sakura's heads. Smiling, he spoke.

"Now, now children. Behave, and don't go killing each other. Konoha's running low on ninjas already…besides, I'd rather have you two save that energy of yours when you two decide to have a go at making little Uchihas!"

Hearing this, Sakura turned a bright red, and Sasuke turned a light shade of pink. Within a couple of seconds, their anger at Naruto was forgotten, and was instead replaced by anger towards a certain silver-haired porn-reader. Angry? No. They were furious. However, before they had a chance to tear sock-faced Kakashi limb by limb, he spoke.

"Just kidding. Save all that energy for training tomorrow at eight. And Naruto…try to stay alive. We haven't formally initiated you yet. So yah. Training tomorrow, Team 7. Don't be late."

At that, he vanished. Angrilly, Sakura spoke.

"Don't be late…? Shouldn't _we_ be telling him that?"

And so ends yet another day.

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ComeComeParadise:

So…there. Chapter 22 is finally completed! Not much happening, but it's a chapter! Please remember to **REVIEW**, and remember **NO flames!** Also, if you haven't already, please remember to vote on…**Itachi's fate!**


	23. Team 7 like it used to be

Kill Itachi: 15

Keep him: 9

Hehehe…I LOVE Itachi, but as it stands, it looks like more than likely, he'll end up dead…sigh Anyways, don't expect a FANTASTICAL fight between the Super Uchiha brothers, because honestly, fight scenes aren't my thing…and I'm sure that most of you will agree with me. Anyways…

IchaIchaSama: Hey there! I KNOW YOU! points a finger at IchaIcha hahahahaha! Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter!

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Sakura got up bright and early in the morning. Glancing at the alarm clock, she sighed. It was 7:55 AM. Not exactly bright and early…and Team 7 was supposed to meet at 8. She was late, but she didn't really care once memories of the past Team 7 meetings replayed through her mind. _He was always late…_Yawning, she pulled the bed covers back over her head and closed her eyes.

"I have another hour to kill…"

However, before she could go back to sleep, she was woken up by a soft tap on her window. Irritated, she removed her covers and glared at her bedroom window. To her surprise, it was only a bird. Groaning, she pulled the covers back over her head and continued to try to get back to sleep. After shutting her eyes for a good five minutes, she was once again, disturbed by a soft tapping on her window. _Tap tap tap…_Deciding to ignore the tapping, she continued to lie in her bed motionless. _Tap Tap Tap…_A vein popped. _Tap tap tap tap tap…_Another vein popped…_Tappity tap tap tap…_"Go away you stupid bird…" She mumbled. _Tap…_Sakura inhaled…_Tap…_and exhaled…_Tap tap tap tap tap…_That was it. She snapped. _Tap tap tap…_Shooting out of her bed, she screamed at the window and threw her slipper at it.

"You damn bird! Leave me the HELL ALONE and FUCK OFF!"

"…"

All was quiet. Once her eyes fell on the "tapper", Sakura was lost for words.

"S-Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke was stony-faced as usual. Suddenly, a hair popped up. Sakura sweat-dropped when she was that. It was strange, and the moment that his hair decided to just…pop up…it was truly a strange sight to see.

"Hn."

Although you would never be able to tell, Sasuke was truly SHOCKED by Sakura's sudden…angriness. I mean, Sakura throwing her slipper at the window…and having it land on the spot RIGHT in front of your face? Truly fearsome if you add that with her screaming her nice little row of cuss-words and profanity. What was he even doing there at her window tapping in the first place? He was simply there to "pick her up" before they left to meet at the bridge. When he saw that there was a lump on her bed, he immediately knew that it was her, and so being the "kind, caring gentleman" that he is, cough, he decided to wake his beloved Sakura up. (hahaha…)

Sakura immediately got up and pulled out her usual outfit from her closet. Drawing the curtains closed, she immediately began to change. Sasuke, who was standing outside, had no idea what to say. He came to wake her up, and she not only yells at him, but she also throws her SLIPPER at him and after stuttering his name, she closes the curtains right in front of his face without even BOTHERING to apologize! Sasuke, being the prideful Uchiha that he is, was definitely not pleased.

After a couple of minutes, Sakura was ready and ran out the door. However, in her hurry, she wasn't watching where she was going and so, she ran straight into her beloved Sasuke-kun.

If Sasuke was clueless, he would've thought that she had DELIBERATELY charged straight at him like a mad bull, but we all know that he's not clueless, right?

Sakura, on the other hand, was shocked. She DEFINITELY wasn't expecting to run into Sasuke. Looking up into his eyes, she found herself caught in a trance. She lost herself in those eyes of his-she truly did. There was something different about his eyes now. Comparing his eyes now to his eyes back when they were genins, she _knew_ that something was different about them, but she couldn't seem to place her finger on what it was.

"O-Oh, hey Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke grunted. No apology again? You could definitely tell that he wasn't pleased. He turned around and started to walk towards the bridge, with Sakura following close behind.

"Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn?"

"Sorry about earlier…"

Sasuke grunted. At least she FINALLY remembered to thank him. Better late than never, right?

"But…"

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow. _What does she mean, 'what'? _

"What were you doing at my house this morning?"

"…"

"…"

They continued to walk together in silence. After a couple of minutes, Sasuke finally responded.

"Team 7 meets at 8."

"Oh…"

Sakura paused for a moment.

"But this IS Kakashi-sensei…he was always late, remember?"

"…"

Sasuke had nothing to say, really. His mind flashed back to the times when Team 7 was still a whole team. Kakashi was always late, and Naruto and Sakura would yell at him after he made up a lame excuse. He sighed. It seemed like so long ago…and look at them now. Naruto's the Hokage, Orochimaru was dead, and he and Sakura are gonna get married after he kills Itachi. _Itachi…_Sasuke clenched his fists hard, and his knuckles cracked. A scowl was plastered on his face.

"Sasuke-kun, what's wrong?"

At the sound of Sakura's voice, Sasuke's anger had disappeared almost as quickly as it had came. Sasuke looked at Sakura, sadness written all over his face and eyes.

"…"

Letting out a deep, heavy sigh, Sasuke turned his head away from Sakura. _Sakura…her life is in danger right now…every waking day that HE is alive is just another day that he could possibly kill her. She'll never be safe unless he's dead…_

Sakura watched Sasuke with a troubled expression on her face. She knew this expression of his all too well. She's seen this expression years ago. It hasn't changed one bit. He was almost the same exact Sasuke that he was back in their genin days, but there was something different about his eyes. It troubled her, but something about his eyes somehow reassured her a bit. It was something, but she STILL couldn't figure out what it was.

"Sakura…"

Her ears perked up upon hearing her name.

"Yes, Sasuke-kun?"

And for the first time since the war, he held her hand. This time, for real.

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Meanwhile, Naruto was waiting at the bridge. It was uncomfortably lonely to him. Neither one of his teammates have arrived, and Kaka-sensei hadn't arrived yet either. Looking down at his pocket watch, it was 9:15 AM. He's been waiting for more than an hour, and no one else showed up yet. Kaka-sensei not being there wasn't much of a surprise to him, what really surprised him, or rather, got him curious and wondering was the absence of his two former teammates. He KNEW that two lovebirds could not be trusted! They were probably making out at Sakura's house or something while he, the GREAT HOKAGE, was loyally waiting at the bridge. He arrived at EXACTLY 8 AM, because Hokages were PUNCTUAL.

After fuming for a bit, he looked over at the pathway that led to the bridge. To his shock and horror, he saw his two former teammates arriving, HAND IN HAND. A smile found its way across his face. Sasuke and Sakura, however, noticed that Naruto had seen them holding hands, and immediately let go of each other.

"Hey there, Mr. and Mrs. Uchiha! How's it going, restoring the clan I mean. Must be preeeeeetttyyy darn exhausting, huh? Though I don't think that the teme over here minds that much. Poor Sakura-chan…must be pretty tired, huh? And to think that we have training today, too. Tell you what, if you feel any morning sickness, then just let Kaka-sensei know once he gets here, okay?"

Sasuke and Sakura walked right past the dobe and stood on opposite sides of the bridge, both waiting for their late sensei to arrive.

Naruto sighed and ran back to his original spot over by the bridge.

"This is what I get after waiting for over an hour for Kaka-sensei, and my love-bird teammates. I'll bet that you two were making out and getting all hot and heavy while I was here dutifully waiting for our beloved sensei…"

A vein popped in both of their heads.

"Don't kill the Hokage, remember Sasuke-kun? Don't kill the Hokage."

Sasuke nodded.

"Hn."

"For heaven's sake, why the heck are you guys so damn quiet? You're hiding something I bet."

"…"

"We're hiding the fact that you're an IDIOT, you baka…I still cant believe that you're the Hokage…" Muttered Sakura.

"Huh? What was that?"

"Nothing, Naruto, Nothing."

"…"

Naruto paused to look at his teammates suspiciously.

"Oh I'll bet it's something. How was your night?"

"…"

"…"

"I'll help you guys come up with names for the babies. I have one now. Why don't you name your fist son BOB?"

SNAP. SNAP. As you probably would've guessed, both Sasuke and Sakura snapped. You just couldn't tell that much with Sasuke.

However, immediately, both of them were charging straight on at Naruto. Sasuke, with his chidori and sharingan activated, and Sakura with a chakra covered fist. Bad news for our Hokage. As the two closed in on their unsuspecting teammate, Kakashi poofed in between them.

"Yo. Class is now in session, peeps."

De-activating his sharingan and chidori, Sasuke and Sakura both sighed. There was something about Kakashi's timing. His "popping in between Sasuke and Sakura and Naruto right before Sasuke and Sakura kill Naruto" is getting a bit to…convenient. But they were too tired to protest.

"YOU'RE LATE!" yelled Naruto as he jabbed an accusing finger at Kakashi. (no, not the third one, I mean the index finger!)

Kakashi gasped.

"Oh my gosh! Naruto and Sakura didn't say that line together this time! And I didn't even get to come up with an excuse yet!"

Everyone sighed. It's been WAY too long since Team 7 had met. Even their morning routine had been thrown off completely.

"So Sasuke…it's been a while since you re-joined our team. Welcome back."

"…"

At that, Team 7 embarked on their wonderful, colorful, fun-filled day of training. At the end of the day, Everyone was exhausted, but despite that, everyone was satisfied. Like many of them had thought the night before, 'It's been too long.'

In the middle of walking back, everyone stopped. No one really wanted the day to end. Even Kakashi missed the old Team 7 days. Their team was broken, and now, for the first time in 3 years, they were once again whole. And although their teamwork wasn't quite as good as it was before, it was definitely something good to be able to do again after so long. Having Sasuke back made things a whole lot better. They just needed the time together to be able to pick up the rhythm that they shared long ago.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Hm?"

"Would you…would you take us out to ramen tonight? You know, just the four of us?"

The jonin pondered this for a minute.

"You know what…?"

All eyes and ears were eagerly awaiting his answer.

"That sounds like a great idea. How 'bout it Team 7?"

It felt great to be called Team 7 again, and even Sasuke couldn't help but agree. Everyone nodded quietly, and Team 7 spent the last hours of the day together, eating ramen.

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ComeComeParadise Corner:

Well, that was chapter 23! Itachi's coming soon, you just have to be patient and wait! Right now, I'm just having Team 7 bonding back so that they can be close again, and I'm having NaruHina being planned some more. So yah, don't expect him next chapter! But don't worry-he's coming!

**Don't forget to REVIEW!**

**Flames will be extinguished by my fire extinguisher of DOOM! Buahaha! No FLAMES, but I want REVIEWS!**


	24. Fluffy pillowy, marshmallowy chappie!

Kill Itachi: 17

Keep the hottie: 14

Hmmmm….Itachi living is catching up…we'll just have to see what happens!

Thanks for all of my lovely reviews! They were really fun to read and respond to!

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That night as Sasuke walked Sakura home, Sakura turned to him.

"Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn?"

"Tell me…are you leaving soon?"

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow. Sakura, seeing this, continued.

"I mean…about Itachi…I was just wondering—"

"—I..I'm not strong enough yet."

Sasuke turned his head away from her. He looked at the ground, and clenched his fists tightly.

"Last time…"

Sakura took a step towards Sasuke. Her curiosity seemed to build up whenever they were speaking about him. She was drawn to him for unknown reasons. She wanted to know him more; she wanted to know each and every aspect about Sasuke. This man that she has fallen deeply in love with was still a total, complete enigma to her. At the same time, she was sure that he knew EVERYTHING about her. It was totally different. She KNEW that she was easy to read. She was always very open about her feelings and emotions. Sasuke, on the other hand, he was a totally different story. He was a challenge to read and understand, but that's just what she loved so much about him. Sakura continued to inch up towards Sasuke.

"What, Sasuke-kun? What happened?"

Sasuke shut his eyes and let out a deep, heavy sigh.

"…"

"Sasuke-kun?"

"…"

"Sasuke-kun, what is it?"

"Last time…when I met and fought Itachi…"

"Yes? What happened?"

"…He was…stronger than me. The gap between the two of us hadn't narrowed a bit…and now…now…"

Sakura's eyes softened as she gently held Sasuke's hand.

"Sasuke-kun…"

Sasuke let her hold his hand, and surprisingly, he didn't flinch.

"…"

Sakura found herself staring at Sasuke's troubled face. He always seemed to be this way whenever the topic of Itachi was brought up. She wanted to look into his eyes. She wanted to se the pain and sadness in his eyes so that she could understand him better.

"Sakura…"

Sakura jumped a bit, startled by his sudden speaking.

"Yah, Sasuke-kun?"

"…"

"…"

"I…"

"You….?"

Sasuke let out yet another sigh and turned to face Sakura. He opened his eyes and looked her in the eyes. They say that a man's eyes were the windows to his soul. This was most certainly true for Sasuke that night. Sakura looked into his eyes only to be greeted by an influx of feelings. She saw sadness, pain, sorrow, longing, anger, hatred, and something else that she couldn't quite identify. The intensity of their gaze was rather awkward, and no matter how hard Sakura tried to break their gaze, she found herself drowning in his dark, onyx eyes. They were like magnets attracting tiny pieces of metal. The pull was so strong and hard to escape, that you found yourself glued. In a way, this can describe their relationship. They were total opposites-anyone can tell, and yet, they found themselves drawn towards one another.

"…"

"…"

"Sakura…I…."

"Sasuke-kun…?"

"I….I'm afraid…"

Sakura was taken aback by his words. Sasuke? THE UCHIHA SASUKE was afraid? Sakura pinched herself to make sure that it wasn't a dream, and it hurt. She found it hard to swallow. The Sasuke-kun that was always there to protect her…the Uchiha prodigy…the man that inspired her to become the person that she is today…he was afraid…Sakura's eyes softened almost immediately…Her voice softened as well.

"Sasuke-kun…"

At that, she began to pull him towards her house.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Sasuke looked away and shrugged. Taking his shrug as a "yes", Sakura led the way, and welcomed him to her house.

Once they got in, Sakura walked Sasuke into her house and had him sit down on her couch (in other words, she forcefully pushed and made him sit on her couch). After setting her things down, she ran back over to SAsuke only to find him standing instead of sitting on the couch that she welcomed him to sit on.

"Sasuke-kun…"

"Hn?"

"SIT!"

"…"

"SIT!"

"…"

"SIT, DAMN IT!"

"Sakura…I'm not a dog."

Sakura rolled her eyes. After rubbing her temples a couple of times, she walked over to the couch that Sasuke was supposed to be sitting on and sat on it herself. Right when Sakura sat down, Sasuke almost immediately sat down right beside her. Sakura sighed, and Sasuke glared at her for doing so.

"So…"

"…"

"Anyways…"

"…"

"What were we…uh, talking about earlier…?"

"…"

"…"

"Sasuke-kun?"

"…"

"Hello, Konoha to Sasuke-kun? You there?"

"Sakura…"

"Yes? Are you finally gonna continue speaking from where we left off?"

"….Sakura…"

"Yes, Sasuke-kun?"

"…you just ruined the moment…"

Sakura leaned back against the fluffy pillows on her couch and let out a long, heavy sigh.

"Yeah, I guess you're right…"

"In any case…"

Sasuke got up, and Sakura got up after him.

"We're training again tomorrow with Kakashi. Get up early, and I'll pick you up at seven."

Sakura brightened upon hearing that.

"What are we gonna do so early in the morning?"

Could it be? Are they finally gonna get to go on a real date? Sakura felt her heart beating faster.

Sasuke, on the other hand, looked at her funny.

"We're gonna train like we normally would do, Sakura."

Sakura sighed. _'Some things are too good to be true, I guess…'_

Sasuke walked himself to her door with Sakura following close behind. Seeing the disappointed look in her face, he smirked.

"Goodnight and…..thanks." he said.

At that, he leaned over and gently placed a kiss on her forehead. He stepped back, and upon seeing the dumbfounded look on her face, he couldn't help but smirk. After pausing for a moment, he stepped out of her door, and went home.

Sakura blushed and ran towards her window.

"

"Sasuke-kun!" she cried out.

To her dismay, he had already disappeared.

"goodnight…" she whispered softly.

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The next morning, after Sasuke picked up Sakura, they were quietly making their way towards their training grounds. When they both passed by "the bench", both of them stopped in their tracks. Sakura cast a nostalgic look at the bench, and Sasuke watched Sakura.

"Brings back many memories, doesn't it?" she asked.

"Hn."

Smiling, she walked over to the bench at sat down on it. Running a perfectly manicured finger on the cool cement of the bench, she let out a satisfied smile and looked up at the clouds overhead.

"It's funny how things happen in life…" she started.

Sasuke grunted and sat down beside her. Sakura, seeing this, giggled softly to herself.

"Back when we first spoke to each other here by this bench…when we first became genins…you called me annoying and scolded me, remember?"

"…"

Sakura smiled.

"Sasuke-kun, I know you remembered that day. You may have said that you didn't remember that day right before you left, but I KNOW that you remember."

"…"

"I…I really _was_ lonely…"

"That's a lie."

Sakura turned her head at Sasuke. Sasuke, seemingly not noticing this, continued.

"You had Naruto…_I_ was the one that was lonely."

"Sasuke-kun…he's a very close friend of ours, you know that. But still, I _did_ say that without you, I'd be just as lonely. You have no _idea._"

Sasuke sighed and looked up at the clouds with Sakura.

"You really remember EVERYTHING we said that night, don't you?"

Sakura nodded slowly.

"…So did I."

Before the startled and shocked Sakura had a chance to question him, Sasuke was already up and walking.

"C'mon Sakura. Let's train."€

Sighing, Sakura picked herself up off the bench and chased after Sasuke.

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_Meanwhile at the Hokage Tower…_

_Naruto was enjoying life as the Hokage. Though his initiation was merely days away, he seemed unfazed by the growing amount of work and pressure that he was given... _

"Here, kid. These papers have to be approved and stamped by tomorrow morning."

Naruto stared at the foot-high pile of papers stacked before him.

…_until **now**_.

Glancing at the lovely Hinata beside him, Naruto turned to face Hinata with eyes that practically screamed "help me!"

Hinata threw her beloved Naruto-kun a look of pity and simply mouthed the words "I'm sorry, Naruto-kun."

Naruto sighed and began to bang his head against his desk. Suddenly, after Naruto banged his head about a couple hundred times, Tsunade looked down at the papers and gasped.

"Oops! You already finished half of these last week! My bad!"

And with that, she promptly removed more than half of the papers that she had originally stacked on his desk.

Naruto growled. Why did she decide to tell him _AFTER_ he had a huge bump on his head? She could've stopped him before his excessive banging on his desk caused him to grow such a HUGE lump on his forehead that could easily be mistaken for a pimple!

After muttering a few curses, for fear of igniting the wrath of the Godaime Hokage, Naruto continued to work. When Tsunade left the office temporarily to attend a meeting with the village elders, Naruto turned to Hinata and whispered.

"Yo, Hinata! What do you say about grabbing a bite to eat at that ramen shop a couple of blocks away from Ichiraku? My treat!"

Hinata turned a crimson red and nodded.

"Sure, N-Naruto-kun!"

After hearing this, Naruto smiled.

"Glad to hear! Tel you what—you can treat us for dinner tonight if you'd like, okay?"

Hinata giggled and nodded.

"S-Sure, whatever you say…"

Naruto chuckled and struck the infamous 'Good Guy pose' (unfortunately, his teeth didn't go 'ping!')

"Okay then, then let us venture out tonight while we are still youthful! Come, my little cherry blossom, and we shall treat each other out for food!"

Hinata giggled.

"Oh, G-Gai-sensei! You are j-just so cool!"

Naruto paused for a moment, shocked to hear that coming from Hinata. He then smiled and threw an arm around her shoulders.

"Come now, my youthful student! And we shall venture off for our exploding breakfast of youth! My treat! There's no way that Konoha's handsome blue beast will let his beloved student starve now, would he?"

At that, the two of them simultaneously blushed.

"Uhhhh…l-let's go now, Hinata."

"R-right."

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ComeComeParadise Corner:

Okay, next chapter! WOOT! Please ignore my mistakes, It is WAY late over here, and I am writing this right now. If the chapter sucks, then please keep in mind that I lack sleep right now.

**Remember to REVIEW and to NOT FLAME!**


	25. thanks

Keep Itachi: 15

Kill him: 18

3 votes…wow…

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"So…Hinata…how was breakfast?"

The young dobe inquired his date. The lovely Hinata smiled and whispered,

"It was pretty good, N-Naruto-kun…"

He smiled. After looking at his pocket watch, he gasped. It was already a quarter past eight. He was late for training with Kaka-sensei!

"I'm sorry, Hinata. I've gotta go. Kakashi-sensei is supposed to train us today!"

"B-But Naruto-kun, what about your paperwork?"

The blonde ninja turned and smiled.

"Oh that? It could wait! Me getting stronger matters more now. How else would I protect this village?"

Hinata blushed and smiled. Naruto, seeing this, chuckled and took off, calling behind him.

"Don't forget about our lunch and dinner plans! Now, go off, my youthful student, and confront that un-youthful beast we call Tsunade-Obaa-chan!"

Hinata giggled and struck the 'good-guy pose'

"Sure, N-Naruto-kun!"

Naruto smiled and ran off to the Team 7 bridge. He felt unusually warm inside, and he had to admit, Hinata was changing into a more confident person. He liked it.

As he made his way over to the bridge, he was surprised to see his two teammates sweating, and looking exhausted. He cocked an eyebrow and walked over to them slowly and cautiously. As he got closer, he noticed another person there. _What the…? Who the hell's that?_

When he finally arrived at the foot of the bridge, he was greeted by a chorus of Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura's voice.

"You're late."

They simply stated. Naruto sweat-dropped.

"Kaka-sensei, what are you doing here so early?"

Kakashi sighed.

"Training starts at 8. It's already eight thirty."

Naruto gaped. Kaka-sensei wasn't late today?

Sakura, as if reading his mind made her way over to him and whispered

"He was only fifteen minutes late today."

Naruto's mouth slowly formed an 'O', and he slowly nodded as if he understood the situation perfectly…which he didn't. However, when he snapped back into reality, he found his team several meters away. He ran to catch up with them.When he finally caught up, Sakura asked him,

"Where were you anyways? It's not like you to show up so late. Besides, didn't you tell me the other day that 'Hokages are punctual'?"

Naruto blushed. He didn't want to say that he was eating ramen with Hinata, I mean, then they'd think that he and Hinata were on a date! He smiled weakly.

"I…I got lost on the road of life…?"

Sakura slapped her forehead, and Kakashi and Sasuke instantly turned around.

"Oh really? Then why didn't I see you there, Naruto?"

Everyone sweat-dropped at Kaka-sensei's comment. Seeing this, the silver-haired jonin smiled. This time, however, it was Sasuke's turn to speak.

"Look, the dobe's blushing."

Hearing this, Naruto's cheeks grew redder.

"I'm NOT blushing, you jerk!"

"Uh, yah you are."

"Hey, Naruto! You really ARE blushing!"

And at that, Sakura innocently pointed at his cheeks. Naruto sighed, and Kakashi smiled.

"Sounds like something happened to me…so, who's the poor girl?"

Naruto's eyes widened in disbelief.

"What? How'd you know that I went to eat ramen with Hinata?"

Instantly, Naruto clamped his hand over his mouth. He did NOT just say that.

"Poor girl…" Kakashi sighed.

"What do you mean, 'poor girl'? I was eating ramen with Hinata, and if you ask me, she's the LUCKY girl!"

Naruto paused.

Oh wait—he **DID** say that.

"No one asked, dobe. Even I pity her. She'd be better off with that dog-boy than you."

Naruto growled.

"Hinata's a GREAT girl, and she's better off with me than that loser Kiba!"

Naruto slapped himself.

He said all that **AND MORE.**

Sakura, who'd been staring and listening to their conversation for quite some time, smiled.

"So you finally realized her feelings for you huh? Took you long enough."

"SAKURA-CHAN!"

Naruto whined. Sakura sighed and rolled her eyes. Kakashi, seeing all this smiled underneath his mask. He pulled out his ComeComeParadise book and walked over to Naruto. Bending over slightly, he flipped to a page that he had book-marked, and showed it to Naruto. Pointing to the page, he smiled.

"Here, try this one, it works all the time, and it NEVER fails."

Naruto eyed the book carefully, and giggled while blushing. This was what training with Jiraiya had done to him. Sasuke sweatdropped, and Sakura made a disgusted –looking face.

"Kaka-sensei, you're a GENIUS! I had no idea that Ero-Senin could come up with such GREAT _ideas_!"

Sasuke coughed and choked, although he was silently curious as well. (That closet pervert!)

Sakura, on the other hand, TOTALLY paled. She was disgusted. I mean, who wouldn't be, after seeing her teacher and friend gloating, chuckling, and huddled around a _porn_ book?

Boldly, she walked up to the two "men", and snatched the book away from their hands.

"Naruto! Don't you DARE defile Hinata by using the methods in this book! Have you no shame?"

She ripped the book in half, and walked over to Sasuke. When she was out of ear-shot, Kakashi leaned over to Naruto and whispered

"Don't worry, I already memorized the contents of that book with my sharingan."

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_At the end of the day…_

Team 7 was wrapping up their training with sparring matches. Sakura and Naruto had finished their spar, and the victor was the Hokage, much to Sakura's dismay. On the other hand, Kakashi and Sasuke were merely wrapping up their spar.

It looked like Kakashi was gonna be the victor, but within a blink of an eye, the entire situation was completely reversed. Within seconds, the silver-haired jonin was flat against the floor with a kunai held at his throat. Smirking with satisfaction, Sasuke got off of Kakashi. Kakashi, surprised at Sasuke's sudden improvement, got up, and patted his protégé on the back.

"Looks like you've improved quite a bit."

"Hn."

Inwardly, Sasuke was beaming with pride. Who was he gonna take down next? After looking at his hands, The Uchiha prodigy clenched them.

_I really am…getting stronger…_

Who was he gonna take down next? The Hokage himself, no doubt. With Naruto's inauguration coming up, Itachi would probably be showing up to "pay his respects" as well.

_But then again, the entire Akatsuki's been dead for a while…Who knows what's next on his agenda?_

Suddenly remembering that, Sasuke groaned. It was very possible that his brother had been behind the death of the entire rest of the Akatsuki—and that only served to discourage the young prodigy. Soon, his smirk was replaced with a frown. He didn't have all the time in the world, and yet, here he was, still not strong enough to defeat his brother. He may have beaten Kakashi in a spar, but that was still nothing, knowing that Itachi had easily defeated Kakashi.

Sasuke stuffed his hands in his pockets and turned away from everyone else. Instantly, Sakura knew that something was wrong.

"Sasuke-kun…"

Right away, Sasuke turned to look Sakura in the eye.

"I'm fine."

Naruto bore a questioning/clueless/confused expression on his face.

"Yo, what just happened here? I think I'm lost."

The teacher then silenced his student and pulled him away to give Sasuke and Sakura some "alone" time. Instantly, they found themselves behind a tree, and from that tree, you could see Sasuke and Sakura perfectly without having to worry about getting caught.

"Those two understand eachother perfectly, Naruto. They don't have to say much in order to carry a conversation. They already understand where the other is coming from."

He then crossed his fingers and held them in front of Naruto's face.

"They're like this."

Naruto was, well, stunned.

"Oh…"

Was all that he said.

_They really must be close…_

Naruto sighed. Surprisingly, he didn't feel his heart break after everything that he was told about Sasuke's and Sakura's closeness. And it wasn't like he was left out or anything. Naruto was close to Sasuke. They shared a brother-like bond…and Sakura…he had to admit that he never really saw her as anything more than a good, close friend. An image of Hinata flashed across Naruto's mind, and a smile found its way on his lips.

_Sometimes, you just never know…you'll always find love in the most unexpected places…_

"Hey Naruto…"

It was his beloved, silver-haired sensei speaking. Kakashi's voice was urgent-sounding, but it was barely above a whisper. Kakashi jabbed his finger towards where Sasuke and Sakura WERE a while ago.

"Hey, Kaka-sensei…weren't Sasuke and Sakura just there a minute ago?"

The silver haired face-hider nodded.

"Then where are they now!"

Kakashi rolled his eyes.

"That's the thing—I don't know…my mind was occupied….elsewhere."

Naruto looked down at Kakashi's hands and saw that the jounin was hiding a ComeComeParadise book poorly.

_How many of those books does he have?_

Kakashi gave Naruto a stern look.

"Since I wasn't paying attention, you'd think that YOU would. You ARE the Hokage, are you not?"

"…"

"So…where was your mind? Was something on your mind? I'd normally expect more from you, dobe or not dobe, you ARE the Hokage."

"I'm NOT A DOBE!"

"…"

Kakashi cocked his one eyebrow at Naruto.

"Well…then what was on your mind?"

"…"

"…Naruto…it's me, your sensei."

"…exactly."

Kakashi sighed.

"Naruto…we've known each other for years."

Naruto rolled his eyes.

"I know, that's why I can't tell you."

"The Hokage must show and demonstrate the ability to trust his fellow shinobi."

Naruto flinched involuntarily.

"Now, unless it was life-threatening, or strictly confidential information, then you should be able to trust me with whatever it is you were thinking. I too, am a Konoha shinobi, and I've been in service for this village for years."

NAruto paused. He hated it when Kakashi was "right" or as he would rather put it, "as right as a man that covered half his face with two masks could possible be."

"I…was thinking about……Hinata."

Kakashi dropped his ComeComeParadise book…only to pick it right back up, brush off the tiny particles of dust, smooth out the covers, and keep it neatly.

"Wait….what?"

Naruto inhaled deeply and exhaled.

"I was thinking about Hinata."

A grin found its was across the covered half of the jounin's face. Naruto felt his heart stop beating. It looked like Kakashi had an idea, and that was never a good thing. Feeling the need to change the subject and direct the conversation elsewhere, Naruto gulped and spoke.

"So….where do you think Sasuke and Sakura went?"

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_Elsewhere with Sasuke and Sakura…_

The two of them were covered in sweat, cuts, and bruises, and were both panting heavily. They had just finished sparring and training. The entire area was covered with shuriken and other weaponry, along with blood and other various random things. Rocks were split, and trees were singed and disintegrated.

Sasuke, done panting, stopped and smirked. Sooner or later, he'd have to test his newfound strength against a stronger opponent—not that Sakura wasn't strong enough, mind you—it's just that Sasuke wanted to test himself against different opponents.

"Sakura…we should get back now. It's getting late."

Sakura picked herself up off the ground and smiled.

"Okay!"

After a brief pause, she spoke again.

"Oh yah, Naruto's inauguration is in two days!"

"…"

"You know…"

Sasuke turned to face Sakura.

"Back when we were Genin…if you told me back then, that Naruto would become the Hokage, I'd never have believed it."

"…Hn."

Sakura turned to face Sasuke and was shocked to see him looking at her. She smiled, and Sasuke, after feeling a blush creep across his cheeks, turned away.

"And…if you told me back then that you and I would end up being engaged…"

"…"

Sakura tilted her head up and smiled.

"I'd laugh and say that that's ridiculous."

"…"

Sakura sighed.

"…why would you say that?"

Sakura looked surprised for a minute, and after pondering a little, smiled and answered.

"I used to think that you really hated me…"

"…"

"I heard from Naruto that after your fight against each other, you spared his life, and that you guys consider each other brothers…and you guys really did share that type of bond…"

"…"

"…but then, when you left that night…all I had left from you was a 'thank you.' How was I supposed to know what that meant?"

"…"

Sakura sighed.

"But it didn't matter. You were and always will be the one that I love….and it didn't matter to me back then, that I didn't know what you thought of me. I was concerned, and all that really mattered to me was that you got back safe and okay…and not Oro-like."

Sasuke smirked.

"…and what if I was like Oro?"

Sakura turned to look Sasuke in the eye.

"If you had a tongue like Orochimaru, I'd probably forget about you in a heartbeat and fall for Naruto instead."

Sasuke growled, causing Sakura to giggle a bit. And before they knew it, they were right before Sakura's house.

"Goodnight, Sasuke-kun."

"Hn."

Sakura smiled sweetly at him and leaned over to give Sasuke a gentle peck on the cheek. Before Sasuke could protest, she was in her house.

Sasuke smirked and whispered.

"Sakura…thanks."

Little did he know that Sakura was right on the other side of the door…and that she had heard his word of gratitude. Unlike what had happened about three years ago, Sakura now knew what he meant by "thank you." A smile graced her lips and she silently whispered back

"Anytime, Sasuke-kun. Anytime for you."

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OMG! I'm like, uberly sorry about the late update! And I don't think that any of you guys care at all, but I have an excuse-er, reason! I got lost on the road of life! Okay, just kidding! I was loaded up on last-minute projects that my teachers decided to assign me…and this month was just really busy because I also had rehearsals and sports on top of everything else. So yah, please, just remember that it's not my fault! It's my teachers'! Anyways, please, please, PLEAAAASE!

Remember to **REVIEW! And remember that I have a fire-extinguisher, so NO FLAMES ALLOWED! **


	26. friendships and daffodils

Keep Itachi: 19

Kill him: 18

ONE VOTE! Buahaha! So…if you want the Uchiha's hawtness to go to the grave, then you'd better speak up! Buahahahahaa…..

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The next morning, instead of walking to the Team 7 training spot with Sasuke, Sakura spent her morning with her best friend, Ino-pig. It had been quite a while since the two had a chance to sit down and just talk to each other, and the two kunoichis both agreed that it was about time that they did. Besides, with Naruto's inauguration only a day away, many of the teachers either cancelled training, or they started it later than usual.

As the two made their way towards the local café stand, they had a chat.

"So…Sakura…I've noticed that Sasuke-kun's back…"

Sakura nodded and smiled. _He's been back for a while…_

"…I've also noticed that the two of you have gotten…_closer…_"

Sakura sighed.

"Yah…I guess so…"

"…"

Ino looked down.

"…You two share a stronger bond than _we_ did when we were younger…It does a ton on one's ego, you know?"

Sakura turned towards Ino and smiled.

"Yah…but I owe it all to you. I wouldn't have _half_ the confidence that I have now if it weren't for you…and it's you that helped me become who I am today."

Ino returned her friend's smile. She _knew_ that it wasn't just her that helped Sakura grow up into who she is today—a certain heartthrob that costed their friendship had just as much, if not, _more_ impact on Sakura than she did back then.

"I guess…I lost."

This certainly took Sakura by surprise. Lost? What on Earth did Ino mean? The blonde beauty sighed and sat down on one of the benches at the café stand—they've arrived a minute ago. Sakura followed suit and said the one thing that was on her mind since Ino made that statement.

"Huh?"

Ino rolled her eyes.

"I said I lost. You win."

Sakura still didn't quite get what her friend was saying.

"Ino, you pig, what on earth do you mean?"

Ino made mental note of the fact that Sakura called her a pig, and decided to make fun of her forehead later on in return.

"Sasuke likes you more—you _win_."

Sakura sat there looking confused.

"Ino…is that what this is to you? A _competition?_"

"…"

"Ino…Sasuke should mean more to you than something you can beat me in…he's a human just like the rest of us, not a prize that you can win in a _contest_."

"…"

"Ino…"

"Sakura…this isn't just some stupid contest to me—it's…it's _more than that_."

Their drinks came, but Ino wasn't very thirsty at the moment.

"Ever since we were younger…you know…It was Ino and Sakura, not Sakura and Ino…"

Sakura nodded knowingly. She knew where Ino was going.

"I was…the shepherd, and you were my sheep…I taught you things…and you listened to everything I said…it's just…"

"…"

"…and then during the Chuunin exams…you _changed_. We _tied_. You were no longer the little girl that I had to protect…you were just as fragile, maybe, but you definitely had a stronger attitude…and you just…_changed_. You…me…we _tied_. Back when we were younger, I wouldn't have thought that you could be my equal…"

Sakura took a sip of her green tea and looked down at her cup of tea.

"Long story short: You were stronger than me when we were younger. You were the head, and I was your little follower, always hiding in the long shadow that you cast over me. When we tied at the Chuunin exams, however, it shook you up. You never thought that I could ever beat you, much less be your equal. I was always the crybaby in your eyes, the girl that always needed to be protected whether she wanted to or not."

Ino looked away sadly.

"But the thing is…"

Sakura looked up and turned to face Ino.

"All of that is in the past. I've changed…for the best, I hope, and I owe part of that to you."

Ino's frown slowly transformed itself to a smile.

"Ino…we've all changed, and it's part of us growing up…"

"In all my years as a proud kunoichi, I'd never expect to be taught something by _you_ of all people…"

"…"

"But I want to thank you, Sakura…for everything…"

A puzzled look found its way across Sakura's face. This wasn't the first time she received a "thanks" for unknown reasons. Why can't people just be more strait-forward and say why they are happy? Ino, seeing that puzzled look on Sakura's face chuckled. She pulled out a daffodil from her kunai pouch. (She was planning on giving that flower to Sasuke, after remembering what Sakura had said about the daffodil about three years ago when they were going to pay Sasuke a visit at the hospital.) After staring at the flower for a moment, she handed the flower over to Sakura.

"Sakura…you've truly grown and blossomed into a more beautiful flower than a cosmos…"

Sakura's eyes widened in astonishment as she took the flower.

"…and I'm proud of you."

Looking up at Ino, Sakura found her friend grinning happily. Returning the grin, Sakura inhaled the sweet scent from the flower.

"The daffodil is a hardy flower that shows its beautiful face even in the dead of winter…"

Ino continued for her.

"…Patiently waiting for spring without bowing to the cold." (chapter 93)

The two of them smiled at each other, and Sakura tucked the daffodil (whose stem had already been trimmed), behind her ear.

Thus symbolizing the final repair of the long-broken and strained friendship that they shared.

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_Meanwhile…_

On the border of Konoha, a man stood, watching the city below him. He smirked, for he too, was well informed about the great event that was to take place the very next day. Though it was true that he no longer took orders from anyone, he still had other things in mind, for tomorrow was to be an eventful day.

"I'm sick of _waiting_…"

A gust of wind blew by, and in an instant, the man disappeared, for he was "gone with the wind." At the same exact moment, the faint sound of a bell ringing was heard.

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_Hokage Tower…_

"NARUTO! YOU'RE INAUGURATION IS TOMORROW, AND YOU HAVENT EVEN FINISHED YOUR PAPERWORK YET!"

The blonde dobe sat there, twirling in his froggy chair while the older blonde did her daily btching.

_PMS…_

He thought. _That must mean that she ALWAYS PMS-es. That must be an old woman thing_.

Meanwhile, Hinata and Shizune took cover behind one of the giant stuffed-frogs that Naruto brought into his office.

"C'mon, lady…Do we honestly need to have a checklist on which places have been repaired? I mean, the city looks pretty well put-together to me. The Ninja Academy and most of the other shops are back in business…the only thing that bugs me is the fact that Ichiraku is still down."

Tsunade sighed as she rubbed her temples.

"The Ramen-man and Ayame were injured during the war we had…and since Ichiraku is the Ramen-man's store, we have no right to open it to the public without their permission. Your ramen's gonna have to wait."

Naruto clutched his heart and let out a dramatic gasp.

"…And people from different cities from all over the country will be here in Konoha to see you. If they see Konoha in its current state, with places STILL not completed yet, it will show them that we are still not fully recovered yet from the after-effects of the war. That maniacal ex-teammate of mine left behind a ruined Konoha after his death, and I'm not gonna let him celebrate Konoha's demise. We're starting fresh, all-over again, and if the other nations see us now, alliances can and may be broken."

Naruto grumbled.

"They say that the older you get, the wiser you are…if that's the case, then you must be REALLY old…"

"…"

Tsunade wasn't sure if she should be mad as hell or happy as ever.

_That kid…he's a clever one actually._ (Is it raining pigs yet?)

The two of them sighed. Tsunade looked out the office window. Before her lied a massive country. This was the creation of her grandfather, her home, her _responsibility._ And now, it was NAruto's. She smiled softly. Here was her homeland. It bore many promising hearts, and was home to some of the greatest ninja…and the stray sheep. (Sasuke) Her smile quickly turned upside down and into a frown. It was home to many great shinobi…and it was also home to a couple of the most dangerous men to have ever existed. She didn't know how she could keep any other genocides of clans from happening, but she wanted to prevent any repeats of the past mistakes.

"Naruto…"

The dobe turned to face her.

"Make a new degree. I've been Hokage for all this time, and yet this hasn't really fully come into play yet—it was a plan of mine some time ago. Make a new law that requires every three-man team to have at least one medic nin."

Naruto bore a questioning look.

"But who will train all of them?"

Tsunade smiled, for she had figured this out long ago.

"I have the perfect person in mind. TWO, actually."

She turned to face Shizune and smiled.

"Shizune and Haruno Sakura."

Naruto paused.

"But that's only two people…and why Sakura?"

"Sakura was my student, and she's intelligent, and gets along well with people. She's been teaching people things lately, and she's suitable for the job. And I've noticed that Iruka managed to teach MANY of the most successful shinobi in Konoha all by his lonesome. Besides, when I retire, I wouldn't mind stepping in and teaching a few lessons myself."

"…"

"Oh, and one more thing…"

Rubbing his head awkwardly, Naruto spoke.

"What now…?"

Tsunade's voice grew even more serious.

"Make sure that not a single sensei in Konoha favors the prodigy on the squad, and gives him or her special treatment."

Naruto had no idea what Tsunade was talking about.

"…Why not?"

"…I don't want any repeats of what happened with my sensei and Orochimaru...or Kakashi and Sasuke. It threatens our village, Naruto, and we don't want such threats to happen again. By making sure that senseis don't favor any of their students, we are lowering the chances of another Orochimaru-incident by a fraction, which can indeed make a difference."

Naruto pondered this for a moment. Tsunade was truly wise. He wasn't even a full-grown adult, and yet, there was just so much responsibility and things for him to consider and take to heart. He wasn't as wise as Tsunade, but deep inside, as she spoke those words, something bubbled within him, like a geyser right before it explodes. He suddenly felt the overwhelming need to protect his country and its people, regardless of HOW badly they had treated him in the past.

"…no problem, Tsunade-sama. It is my duty as the Hokage…to protect my village. I wont let you down, I promise."

And he sealed the deal with the good guy pose…but since he isn't Lee, or Gai-sensei, his teeth didn't go 'ping!', but instead, they went 'pong!'. When Tsunade saw Naruto's bewildered look on his face, (he wasn't expecting his teeth to go 'pong!'), she let out a soft chuckle. She walked over to NAruto and placed one hand firmly on his head, and smiled.

_It seems that I have made a fine, excellent choice._

"Naruto…"

The dobe looked up.

"Yes?"

"…This village that you see before you…this village, its people, its future, its LIVES…you are responsible for each and every single one of them….do you understand me?"

Naruto nodded sternly, a confident look in his eyes. Never before was he so sure of something. Tsunade, seeing this, let out yet another chuckle.

"You are to protect this village with YOUR LIFE, and you must be more than willing to LAY DOWN your life for the sake of this village and its people. You must rule over the village justly, and with all this and more in mind. Think of nothing but the people, and in Konoha, the people come first. When discussing matters and treaties, be careful, and when it involves the people of this village, including you, remember to think of what best suits your people, even if it may not suit you at all. Do you understand?"

Naruto promptly removed Tsunade's hand from his head and looked her square in the eye.

"DUH! I'm the Hokage of Konoha, I represent Konoha and its people. I promised earlier in my life, and I swore that I'd surpass any and all Hokage that came before me, so YOU'RE no exception, and neither is Yondaime…HE was the one that gave his life for the sake of this village…and he was the one that sealed the beast that nearly destroyed the village in me."

Tsunade's smile grew.

"Naruto…you're ready for tomorrow, I can say that confidently now."

_Who would have ever thought that the ruler of this country…would contain the beast that almost destroyed it within him…_

Hinata stood there and smiled.

"C-congratulations, Naruto-k-kun…"

Naruto smiled warmly.

"Thanks a lot, Hinata! Say, why don't we go out and celebrate with ramen at that place that we went to the other day? Its ramen may not be as great as Ichiraku's, but it's good enough for me!"

"S-Sure!"

"Not on my watch."

The two of them turned around to see Tsunade crossing her arms firmly across her (HUGE, and most definitely ARTIFICIAL) chest.

"You still have quite a bit of paperwork to do, Naruto-_kun_."

Naruto shuddered involuntarily. It didn't sound quite right when Tsunade called him Naruto-kun…it was much better when Hinata called him that. Oh wait—did he just think that?

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ComeComeParadise Corner:

Okay, that took me long enough! XD Yah, so I finally updated. I hope that once school's over, I'd be able to be more consistent with my updates…but then again, my parents enrolled me in summer school, so….(gets pelted by tomatoes…then throws tomatoes at Sasuke…who eats the tomatoes…) So that's about it! Thanks for reading, and like I said millions of times before, **REVIEW, and NO FLAMES!**

**(only Sasuke can flame because of his Goukakyu…wait, is that even spelled right? XD Anyways, so yah, REVIEW!)**


	27. where's the Hokage!

Kill Itachi: 24

Keep Him: 19

Ahahaha…

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It was bright and early the next day. Everyone woke up, well aware of the special occasion. Leaders, Daimyo, and shinobi from every nation gathered together as they arrived at Konoha. The local Shinobi put on their finest clothing as they prepared to make way towards the Hokage Tower. School at the Ninja Academy was closed, and training was cancelled for the day. The streets were decorated with lanterns bearing the Konoha symbol on them. Banners bearing the name of the Hokage were hung up, and music was played. Everyone was excited and ready for the great day…well, everyone except for the man whom the inauguration was being thrown for.

The inauguration was scheduled to happen at 9 AM…but it was already 8:45 and there was still no sign of Naruto. Everyone outside was starting to excitedly gather around the Hokage Tower, while everyone INSIDE the said tower was panicking.

"Where on Earth is the kid!"

A young-looking old woman was running amok, muttering a few curses as she went. As she did this, her assistant and her pig tried to calm her down.

"Tsu-Tsunade-sama, p-please try to calm down."

Tsunade turned to face Shizune.

"Calm down? Are you asking ME of all people to CALM DOWN? Shinobi from EVERY NATION are down there, do you hear me? Hokage, Daimyo…oh, the list goes on and on…what would they think if our new little Hokage were to show up late?"

"W-Well, uh—"

"—They'd think that Konoha has a terrible leader, and what's more, they may plot terrible things against us!"

"…"

Shizune looked down. Meanwhile, a pink blob and a black blob sped past her, Tsunade and Ton Ton. As the trio watched the black and pink blob speed past them, Hinata walked up slowly to Tsunade.

"Tsu-Tsunade-sama, is N-Naruto-kun here yet?"

Upon the mentioning of Naruto's name, the pink and black blob sped back towards Tsunade. When they stopped running and stopped before Tsunade, the Hokage smiled.

"Ah, Sakura, Sasuke, what brings you here?"

Sakura answered her sensei.

"Tsunade-sama. We're here to see Naruto…_is_ he here yet?"

Hinata and Sakura waited eagerly for the Godaime's response while Sasuke leaned against the wall coolly. Tsunade let out a sigh before answering.

"Sorry girls…and boy…he's not."

Hinata paled, Sakura fell over anime-style, and Sasuke…stood there.

"HE'S NOT HERE?"

"B-but Tsunade-sama, his inauguration is about to take place!"

Tsunade sighed and massaged her temples.

"Leave it to the dobe to forget about his own inauguration…wasn't being Hokage his dream?"

Everyone let out a defeated sigh.

"Sasuke, I want you to go look for Naruto at his house. Sakura, Hinata, stay here in case he gets here later."

Sasuke stuffed his hands in his pockets and took off.

"Hn."

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Sasuke teleported over to Naruto's house, only because he wanted to avoid the crowds. When he arrived at Naruto's house, he heard a loud, I mean LOOOUUUUUUUDDDDD snoring coming from his window. Sasuke rolled his eyes and crawled into Naruto's house through the little doggy door—don't ask how he fit, he's a ninja. XD

As he made his way towards Naruto's room, the snoring grew only louder, and Sasuke fought the urge to let out a laugh. _Leave it to the dobe to oversleep on the day that he's been dreaming of since his early childhood._

He kicked the door to Naruto's room open, hoping to wake the blonde dobe up with little effort…but the blonde snored on. Looking at Naruto's ramen alarm-clock, he shook his head hopelessly upon realizing that it had already rung an hour ago. _He slept through his alarm clock?_

"Hey dobe, wake up."

Naruto continued to sleep.

"Naruto…wake up."

No answer, only snoring.

Sasuke let out a frustrated sigh, and began to shake Naruto hard.

"Wake up. Now."

The blonde continued to sleep. Seeing that the 'normal' way to wake someone up wasn't working on Naruto, Sasuke decided to try the good old ninja way. He fished for a kunai and aimed it right above Naruto's head before throwing it with precise aim. It landed frighteningly close to Naruto's head—right above it in fact, but the boy continued to sleep. Sasuke walked up to Naruto and saw that he cut off a lot of Naruto's hair with his last attack. The Uchiha prodigy sweat-dropped.

"What _are _you?"

He glanced at the ramen alarm clock—It was already 8:55. How on Earth was he supposed to get Naruto up and at the tower on time?

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_Meanwhile at the Hokage Tower…_

Hinata peeked at the crowd that had assembled at the foot of the Hokage tower hours ago. She let out a little whimper and ran back towards everyone else.

"Tsunade-sama! Everyone d-down there is getting r-r-restless!"

Sakura glanced at the Froggy clock that hung in Naruto's office.

"…and it's already five till."

Tsunade shook her head and groaned.

"That idiot…"

She sat there and thought quietly. After a moment of silence, and of thinking, she looked up and stared at Sakura and Hinata.

"You two…I want you girls to go on out there and distract the crowd. Just buy us some time before Sasuke and Naruto arrive. Shizune and I will take care of the dobe when he gets here."

The two girls stood there dumbfounded.

"B-But, what d-do we do?"

"Exactly, I don't know the first thing about distracting people!"

Tsunade jabbed a finger at Sakura.

"You're smart, you'll figure something out. Now, shoo!"

And before the girls had a chance to protest, they were shoved out onto the balcony. The women in the crowd cheered before they realized that Sakura and Hinata weren't the Hokage. The men, however, continued to cheer. Sakura stood there and stared out into the crowd, half hoping to see Sasuke with Naruto making their way towards the tower. When she didn't see neither of them, she let out a sigh and stood there.

"Hey, Hinata, what do you suppose we d-"

No luck. The young kunoichi was trembling from head to foot, paler than ever. Sakura let out a pitiful sigh and turned towards the crowd.

"U-uh…hi! I'm Sakura, and this is Hinata. A-and, uh…we are g-going to e-entertain you while, uh, wh-while everyone else makes the n-necessary preparations!"

The men in the crowd roared…and the women politely applauded.

"They're gonna strip!" someone in the crowd yelled.

And before they knew it, the men began chanting.

"Strip, strip, strip!"

Well, that certainly didn't help…before long, Hinata was hugging her knees, sicking her thumb, and rocking back and forth. Sakura stood there, unsure of what to do.

"Strip, strip, strip!"

Sakura looked behind her, only to see Tsunade giving her a thumbs up.

"Good Job," the Godaime mouthed, "Keep distracting them!"

Sakura rolled her eyes and turned back to face the crowd.

"Strip, strip, strip!"

That was it. She had enough. After giving the matter a quick thought, Sakura got up, and stood on the edge of the balcony.

"Strip, strip, WHOOOOOOOOO!"

All the women sweat-dropped, including Sakura.

"U-Uh, ladies and gentleman?"

The crowd settled a bit, and Sakura cleared her throat.

"THERE'S NO WAY THAT I'M GONNA STRIP—CAN'T A LADY HAVE HER DIGNITY AROUND HERE!"

The crowd was silenced, and a cricket chirped. Seeing that everyone had settled down, Sakura put on her sweetest voice.

"Thank you!"

And she turned around and skipped happily towards Hinata, who was shocked out of her "trauma". Sakura, smiling, turned back towards the crowd.

"Instead, we will be…uh…"

"S-singing a-and, uh…t-telling j-jokes!"

Sakura turned towards Hinata looking surprised. Hinata smiled sheepishly and whispered

"S-sorry, I just had to make up for leaving you alone b-back th-there."

Sakura returned the smile.

"So, Hinata, why did the chicken cross the road?"

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_Back at Naruto's…_

Sasuke stood there, staring at Naruto. He tried breaking a vase…which didn't wake the dobe up…he tried placing a bowl of ramen under his nose…which didn't work either…he even tried threatening to kill Naruto's cow…only to earn a giggle from the sleeping idiot.

Sasuke felt the urge to stab Naruto with a kunai…but he didn't want to get punished for killing the Hokage. The poor boy shot a glare at the blonde…

_This HAS to wake him up._

…and threw a punch at Naruto's gut. Unfortunately, the blonde turned around in his sleep, and dodged Sasuke's blow. Frustrated, Sasuke continued to throw punches at Naruto, in his face, his arm, his, er, his _tool_, everywhere, only to have the dobe turn and toss and dodge each and every single one of his blows.

Exhausted, and clearly frustrated, Sasuke collapsed and lay himself down in part of Naruto's bed. Panting, he glanced at the clock. _Hopeless…it's already nine._

"Hinata…your skin is so soooooooooffftttt…."

Sasuke turned to face Naruto, clearly disgusted by the dobe's behavior.

"But…why is your hair purple?" The dobe drawled.

Naruto's face was now crinkled into a puzzled frown. Sasuke lay there…until Naruto started to toss and turn again.

"Sakura-chan, that tickles!"

Sasuke, confused, looked around and realized that his head was right by Naruto's foot.

_My hair must be tickling his foot…_

Suddenly, the broody male realized that he was at an awkward position and bolted upright. Naruto's face was now in a stupid-looking smile. Sasuke let out yet another sigh and slapped Naruto hard across the face…unfortunately, all that really did was cause Naruto's saliva/drool to fly out of his mouth and onto Sasuke's shirt.

"Ugh…"

Sasuke got up, removed his shirt, walked into Naruto's bathroom, and began to wash his shirt. By the time that he had hung it up to dry, it was already 9:04…_Thank God that time is dragging by slowly…_

Sasuke grabbed a pot from the kitchen and a wooden spoon and began to bang on it loudly as he walked into Naruto's room. To his dismay, the blonde was now sleeping upside down. Groaning, Sasuke placed the pot on top of Naruto's head and gave it a sharp, strong hit…but heard nothing but snoring afterwards. Frustrated, (again), he threw the pot and spoon at the wall, only to have the pot create a HUGE dent and crack on the wall, and only to have to spoon knock over the bowl of ramen that he used earlier to try to wake Naruto up.

"Oops…oh well, he deserves it anyway."

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ComeComeParadise Corner:

YES I'm dragging this out a bit, but the fact is, I have homework right now…so yah, don't get mad at me, please! (bows) Well, I updated, right? And the thing is, this chapter was ready quite a while ago...but I had trouble uploading it because of some error or something...

Oh, and don't forget to **review**and remember that there are **no flames allowed!**


	28. chilly inauguration

Kill Itachi: 25

Keep Him ALIVE: 20

So…

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The Bowl of ramen fell down with a loud CRASH, and instantly, Naruto bolted up, wide awake.

"Noooooo, Ramen-chan!"

Sasuke sighed. Of all the ways to wake Naruto up, why didn't he think of breaking a bowl full of ramen sooner? As Naruto began to fully wake up, he began to take in his surroundings. As he scanned his room, his eyes stopped on Sasuke. Seeing his brooding buddy standing shirtless in his room, and eyeing him like he'd like to kill him, Naruto did the first thing that came into his mind: Scream.

(In a high-pitched voice) "EEEEEEEEEEEKKKK!"

And believe me, he would have continued screaming even longer if it weren't for the fact that Sasuke btch slapped him.

"Shut up dobe."

Rubbing his cheek angrily, Naruto glared at Sasuke.

"What's the big idea walking into my room half naked? You were trying to rape me, weren't you?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes as memories of their first encounter right before their fight with Orochimaru came flooding into his mind.

Flashback:

"_SEXUAL HARASSMENT! SOMEONE GET THIS HOMOSEXUAL OFF OF ME!"_

_Through clenched teeth, Sasuke was trying to hold on to the little amount of patience he had left. The last thing he wanted to do was make a scene…and having Naruto around pretty much made that impossible to achieve. _

"_I **SAID**…"_

"_YOU TEME! GO RAPE SOME OTHER GUY! GO RAPE NEJI! HE LOOKS MORE LIKE A GIRL THAN YOU DO! HEEEEEELLLPP! KAMI-SAMA! I'M GONNA GET RAPED BY **A MAN!**"_

He shuddered involuntarily.

"Yeah, like I'd wanna rape you."

Naruto's eyes grew big as he gaped and pointed at Sasuke.

"You really _are_ gay aren't you?"

Sasuke shook his head hopelessly and let out a long sigh. Keeping his eyes down, he pointed at Naruto's Ramen clock.

"Hey dobe, you're late for your inauguration."

Immediately, Naruto was in a freaked out, panicky frenzy, as he threw on clothes, freshened up, and muttered a sting of curses. Sasuke, on the other hand, stuffed his hands in his pocket and went into Naruto's bathroom to retrieve his shirt.

"You'd better hurry…you're in deep enough sht as it is."

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_At the Hokage Tower…_

Sakura and Hinata were now busying themselves by doing impersonations of the people we all know and love, and surprisingly, the audience/crowd was quite captivated.

"All right everyone, now guess who I am!"

Sakura drew a bunch of lines all over her face with red lipstick, and when she was done, she paused and cleared her throat.

"I'm not JUST a perv, I'm a SUPER-PERV! Rawr!"

The audience, and Tsunade chuckled in amusement, and a couple of people shouted out 'Jiraiya!' Sakura smiled. It was Hinata's turn.

"O-Oh, Gai-sensei! You are s-so cool! It's the s-spring time of youth!"

Everyone laughed with approval.

"Oh, I have one!" Sakura shouted, and when all eyes were on her, she grabbed two coconuts, which she found earlier in the refrigerator, and stuffed them side by side on her chest. While a few of men in the audience began to blush, giggle, and squeal with delight, everyone else began roaring with laughter. Tsunade however, was standing in the Hokage tower, and only had a back-view of Sakura, and thus she had no idea what was causing the audience to laugh so much.

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As Sasuke patiently waited for Naruto to finish changing, a sudden feeling came across him. It felt like a chilly breeze, and he shuddered. After a moment of uncertainty, he could have sworn that someone was watching him, and he heard the faint sound of a bell in the near distance.

"Yo, let's go now!"

Shrugging off the unusual feeling, Sasuke and Naruto teleported to the tower. It was already half-past nine, and getting Naruto to the Hokage Tower on time was what mattered at the moment.

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Sakura was having the time of her life entertaining the crowd. Hinata had just finished her impersonation of Kakashi, and now it was Sakura's turn to do an impersonation. After giving the matter some thought, Sakura took a deep breath and looked at the audience, eyes emotionless.

"You dobe…."

"**Hn.**"

Sakrua whipped her head around, only to be met face-to-face with Sasuke himself. Sweatdropping, she smiled. The crowd roared with approval.

"Where's Naruto?" Sakura whispered.

Sasuke cocked his head towards the tower. Sakura, understanding what he meant, nodded, and faced the audience once more.

"And that's the end of our opening act! Now, for the show!"

And at that, she, Sasuke, and Hinata exited the balcony. The three of them met Naruto in the tower. The dobe, dressed in a superhero cape and the Hokage hat was making his way towards the balcony. As Sakura, Sasuke, and Hinata passed by him, Sakura stomped angrily and heavily on Naruto's toe, earning a yelp of pain from the dobe. Sasuke glared an icier-than-usual glare at Naruto, and Hinata blushed and looked away. Seeing this, Naruto leaned over towards Tsunade and whispered.

"They're mad at me, aren't they?"

Tsunade rolled her eyes and responded hotly "Gee, ya'think?"

Before he could protest, however, Naruto was shoved onto the balcony, and was greeted by a wave of cheers. Blushing and giggling uncontrollably, he stood there, and waved to the onlookers.

Suddenly, a huge gust blew by, startling the people in the crowd, and blowing Naruto's hat off his head and onto Tsunade's face, and while people in the audience laughed in amusement, Sasuke narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Carefully, he scanned the audience.

_That feeling…_

"Sharingan!"

…he saw nothing. No signs of Itachi whatsoever…

Sakura, who had been standing beside Sasuke the whole time, grew suddenly concerned.

"Sasuke-kun…?"

The Uchiha de-activated his sharingan and sighed.

"…I'm fine."

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After the inauguration, every one left and went their separate ways. Naruto stayed at the Hokage tower with Tsunade and Hinata, and Sasuke and Sakura went off to train.

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ComeComeParadise Corner:

Okay, so this is possibly the shortest chapter ever, but this is like, two chapters on the same day, so it's not as bad, right? I wanted to make up for the long update…which wasn't even my fault by giving you guys another chapter! YAY! (throws confetti in the air)

So once again, please remember to **REVIEW**, and remember **NO FLAMES!**


	29. we are family

Kill Itachi: 28

Keep the bishi: 22

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…Sasuke and Sakura wrapped up their training. Sakura calmly observed that Sasuke was a lot more intense than usual. A LOT MORE. Several Shuriken came flying at her, and she had quite a bit of difficulty dodging them.

_He's…trying so much harder…_

The moment she let her guard down with that thought, several shuriken grazed her—she tried to dodge them, but it was no use.

"Goukayu no jutsu!"

A giant fireball came hurling straight at her. Sakura managed to dodge it, but soon found herself pinned to the ground—with a kunai held at her throat. Sighing defeatedly, she choked out what she could manage at such an angle.

"I…I lose…"

"…"

Sasuke got off of her and began to dust himself off. After shoving his hands in his pockets, he stared at the sun setting in the distance. Memories of his clan's massacre came flooding back to him. He scowled at the memories.

_They were all in the past, and no matter what, I can't bring back my parents. _

His fists shook within his pockets, and he let out a low growl.

…_but what I CAN do…what I MUST do…is kill the man that created these painful memories. I could have grown up with happy memories…_

"S-Sasuke-kun?"

…_but that man took away everything that mattered to me at that time. Everything that would matter to a child…taken away by his own brother._

"Sasuke-kun…are you okay?"

Sasuke took one of his fists out of his pocket and punched the tree beside him. Hard. Within seconds after contact, the tree crumbled, and was reduced to mere splinters. His eyes snapped back up.

"I swear…I will kill you. I will never forgive you for crushing ALL of my childhood hopes and dreams…and I wont let you crush my current ones. All these years, all this time and training—I wont let that go to waste…"

"…Sasuke-kun…"

"…because I'm an avenger, an Uchiha….just like you."

At that, Sasuke began to make his way back home. Sakura was taken aback at his sudden change of behavior, and she stood there, watching his back—staring. She felt a sudden pang of worry, and before she knew it, she found herself following him. She watched as he made his way back to the Uchiha District. She silently gasped when he made a sudden turn at a corner. As the two shinobi made their way towards one shinobi's destination, a forest full of cherry blossoms came into view. Sakura's eyes widened in astonishment.

_It…it's all so beautiful…_

Cherry blossoms of all shades of pink were there, and the grass was a luscious-looking green. Sakura didn't notice that Sasuke had stopped walking.

"Sakura. I know you're here."

"…"

Slowly, the said kunoichi came out of her hiding place and made her way towards the Uchiha. Her curiosity was piqued when she saw a bunch of tombstones scattered around the cherry blossom trees. Immediately, she knew whom the graves belonged to.

"Sasuke-kun…"

"…"

"Why—"

"—I knew you were following me, so I thought that I might as well show you this place."

Sasuke stood there gazing at the gravesite.

"The cherry blossoms seem to grow more and more beautiful as each year passes..."

When he said that, he let his eyes wander over to Sakura, who was too busy observing the area to notice.

"Sasuke-kun…there are so many graves…"

He nodded.

"…and there _were_ so many Uchihas."

Sakura's head drooped as she looked down at her feet.

"…Sasuke-kun…"

"…"

"…do….do you come here often?"

Pausing to give the question some thought, the Uchiha silently pondered.

"…you mean before or after I left?"

Sakura crossed her arms loosely and shrugged.

"…Before I left, I used to come here every night and cry myself to sleep…"

The kunoichi looked up at her lover, eyes saddened.

"You…cried…?"

Sasuke nodded, his face bore no emotion.

"…but now….I don't cry anymore when I come here…"

"…"

"...and it's because I know that when the time comes, the Uchiha clan will have more members than the graves I see before me."

Sakura nodded as she grabbed Sasuke's hand.

"..and it's ALSO because you have me—the woman that will be making all your precious heirs."

The avenger smirked as his bride giggled, and the two of them were enjoying the moment as it was.

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Later that night, as the happy couple parted and went separate ways, Sasuke felt an unusual feeling. As he neared his humble abode, he felt as if he was being watched. He continued to travel with caution. WHOOOSH! A sudden gust of wind blew, ruffling his spiky black hair. As the wind settled down, Sasuke activated his sharingan and threw his kunai at the nearby bush. There was silence, and before long, the Uchiha prodigy knew that he was dealing with skilled company. He glanced up at the nearby telephone pole, and saw a familiar shadow. As he prepared to attack at the familiar shadow, it vanished, and before long, Sasuke sensed the familiar chakra of a certain weasel.

"...my little brother…it seems that you have grown."

Sasuke spun around and glared into the eyes of his older brother.

"Itachi…" he snarled. But upon closer inspection, it wasn't long before he realized that something changed about his brother. His eyes…they seemed dull. Not letting his guard down, Sasuke decided against de activating his sharingan. Whatever was happening, it must have been some sort of trick.

"…what's wrong? Arent you glad to see a member of your family?"

Obviously Itachi was taunting him.

"…I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that this time, I'm here for you, and not that little kyuubi container. Wouldn't want the entire village to come after me now, would I?"

"…"

Itachi took a step towards Sasuke, slightly catching him off guard.

"You…you're _blind_, aren't you?"

Itachi smirked, and took another step towards Sasuke.

"…I can sense your chakra."

A kunai whizzed past Sasuke, grazing his cheek in the process. Slowly, Sasuke brought his hand up to tough his wound. When he pulled his hand away, there was blood on his hands. _I barely even saw him reach for the kunai…_

Itachi smirked, further provoking Sasuke.

"Answer me. Are you blind or not?"

Itachi continued to step towards Sasuke.

"Foolish little brother. If you hope to defeat me, seek me out, and grow stronger."

Sasuke growled.

"Pfffftt….what do you think I've been doing all these years?"

The weasel let out a long, heavy sigh.

"..I tell you the truth. You cannot hope to defeat me in your current pathetic state…" he let out yet another smirk.

"…Next time, YOU'LL be the one seeking me out…Later."

And in an instant, Itachi vanished without a trace, and was gone with the wind, leaving Sasuke standing where he was, dumbfounded and puzzled. A second later, he fell to his knees, as he began questioning everything.

That night, Sasuke was haunted by nightmares full of memories of his clan, and his earlier conversation with Itachi. It wasn't a dream and he knew it. It was too darn terrible to be a dream, and the scratch on his cheek was proof enough that he wasn't hallucinating. The poor boy woke up the next morning, face drenched in cold sweat.

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ComeComeParadise Corner:

Okay, I know I took a while to update, and I know that I should have written a longer chapter, but to be completely honest, I had writer's block. I'm sorry to all those that were getting tired of waiting…but please understand that I'm also a busy person at the same exact time—writer's blocks only slow down my updating. As the author of this fic, I should give it my all and write better chapters, but please, as my lovely reviewers, may you guys please at least try to understand where I'm coming from? (some of you) I'm sorry, everyone, I really am…but anyways, please remember not to flame—if you have any complaints, please submit them in the form of constructive criticism. I'd prefer Reviews, though. XD


	30. foolish little brother

Kill Itachi: 30

Keep Itachi: 26

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"_..I tell you the truth. You cannot hope to defeat me in your current pathetic state…" he let out yet another smirk._

"…_Next time, YOU'LL be the one seeking me out…Later."_

_And in an instant, Itachi vanished without a trace, and was gone with the wind, leaving Sasuke standing where he was, dumbfounded and puzzled. A second later, he fell to his knees, as he began questioning everything._

_That night, Sasuke was haunted by nightmares full of memories of his clan, and his earlier conversation with Itachi. It wasn't a dream and he knew it. It was too darn terrible to be a dream, and the scratch on his cheek was proof enough that he wasn't hallucinating. The poor boy woke up the next morning, face drenched in cold sweat._

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The poor boy sat there on his bed, wet with cold sweat, and shivering. He sat there, staring at his bed sheets, which were black and crinkled in a fine mess.

"_..I tell you the truth. You cannot hope to defeat me in your current pathetic state…"_

Sasuke wiped his brow, and finally stopped shivering.

"…_Next time, YOU'LL be the one seeking me out…"_

Confused, he started shaking his head repeatedly in an attempt to force the memories of that conversation away. He raked his fingers through his messy hair. Just like the last time they met, the gap between them was still great.

…_but isn't he blind?_

Sasuke got up and stared at the ceiling confused. Closing his eyes, he gave the situation some thought.

_He was still able to move quickly…_

Subconsciously, he brought his hand up to his face. He felt the cut he received from the previous night.

"…_I can sense your chakra"_

Frustrated, the broody boy went to take a shower. Team 7 had a meeting that day, and even though it was Kakashi, he didn't want to be late.

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"Sasuke-kun!"

A young pink haired kunoichi ran to catch up with the self proclaimed avenger. The boy slowed down his pace to a slow walk and allowed the girl to catch up. As Sakura got closer and closer to Sasuke, he couldn't help but notice that she was panting…he wasn't that far up ahead of her, so he knew that she wasn't panting from trying to catch up with him. Silently, he waited for an answer. Within a couple of seconds, Sakura finally caught up with Sasuke. As she paused to catch her breath, Sakura took notice of the cut that was on Sasuke's cheek. She brought her hands up towards his cheek, but stopped herself midway, remembering that their relationship wasn't supposed to be public.

"Sasuke-kun…"

She decided to refrain from asking about his cut—later will be a better time. Sasuke gave a small, slight grunt.

"…it's Naruto!"

Sasuke snapped into attention almost immediately. Was this conversation going where he thought it was going? Just then a mental image of Itachi flashed into his mind.

"…crap" he muttered.

Sakura was taken aback.

"So…you know?"

Sasuke shrugged. Sakura, seeing this, looked down.

"…Naruto…last night…he had a run down with Itachi."

Immediately, Sasuke grabbed Sakura and dragged her over to a secluded area.

"Sasuke-kun, what are y—"

"—what happened? Where is he?"

Sakura gazed into Sasuke's eyes and saw panic…frustration… _fear_. She had no idea what to think.

"Sasu—"

Sasuke let out a sigh.

"Sakura…tell me…what happened?"

Not able to look into his eyes any longer, Sakura turned away, eyes downcast.

"Naruto…he and Itachi ran into each other last night. Itachi tried to kidnap him and then…he attacked. Naruto's okay and he wasn't killed or anything, but…"

"…"

"…His wounds…they're pretty bad. I checked up on him earlier this morning, and while he doesn't have any seriously fatal wounds…"

"…"

Sakura looked up to face Sasuke, tears in her eyes.

"…but it's all still pretty bad. One of his scars…I can't do anything to get rid of it right now…he wants to speak to you Sasuke-kun!"

Awkwardly, Sasuke placed one of his hands firmly on one of her shoulders. Unable to look her in the eye, (for he was feeling far too awkward), he muttered a couple of words to her.

"…Okay, I'll go. Take care of yourself, and…thanks."

Sakura paused to wipe a tear from her eye, but by the time she looked up, Sasuke was gone.

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Sasuke arrived at the door of Naruto's office. His hands hovered anxiously above the doorknob.

_Is Itachi still the kyuubi in Naruto? What really happened between the two of them? Is…is the dobe really okay?_

Such questions filled his mind, and before he managed to summon up the nerve to actually walk in, (he was staring at the doorknob before), Naruto's voice penetrated and interrupted his thoughts.

"Yo. Come on in."

"…"

Slowly, and somewhat hesitantly, Sasuke made his way into the office. The Naruto that stood before him was not the Naruto that he saw just the day before. Bandages were all over the blonde dobe's body, and a deep-looking cut (that looks like Luffy's from One Piece) ran across his left cheek.

"Take a picture, Teme. It lasts longer."

"…"

Sasuke decided against asking the obvious. Naruto, noticing Sasuke's somewhat puzzled expression, (from what he could tell, Sasuke was puzzled), Naruto smirked.

"…wanna know WHY he attacked me?"

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders, and Naruto continued.

"'You changed my baby brother…because of you; he lacks even more hatred than before.'"

"…so you mean it wasn't because of the kyuubi?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders.

"The thing is, I told your brother that I wasn't the one that changed you—that he had the wrong man…"

A pause.

"…or _woman_, rather."

"…"

"Wanna know what else he told me?"

Sasuke pulled himself a seat in front of Naruto's desk and sat there impatiently.

"Hurry up, I'm getting old here."

Naruto 'hmph'-ed and continued his story.

" ' Sasuke…he's stronger…but he lacks the emotions necessary to kill me. Right now, I see something else in him…you're changing him, and my foolish brother has no idea about it. He lacks hatred, and that's because you took it away from him.'"

"…you had a conversation with Itachi about me."

It wasn't a question really—that was more like a statement. Naruto nodded as he absent mindedly twirled a loose bandage with his fingers.

"..the thing is, while all that may have been true in the past, I don't think that I'm the one that cause all this 'change' in you as he put it….but then again, when I told him that, he started to attack me."

"…what's your point, dobe?"

Naruto paused then sighed.

"Itachi attacked me because he thought that I was causing you to…hate less. But the thing is, I don't think that it's me this time…"

"…"

"…This time, I think that it's Sakura-chan that's changing you, and truth be told, you HAVE been less of an arse hole these days."

"….hn."

The hokage's eyes grew suddenly serious along with his tone of voice.

"…but as good as that may seem, now, I believe that Sakura-chan's in danger."

"…"

"I mean, look at what Itachi did to me because he thought that I was changing you? Just think—what would your brother do to Sakura-chan if he discovered that all along _she_ was the one that was changing you?"

"…"

Sasuke sat there, puzzled, and more confused than ever. That morning, he had resolved to not tell Sakura a thing about his earlier conversation with Itachi…but now, _she's_ part of all this in a way…and leaving her in the dark just wouldn't do. Sakura's a smart girl—he knew that. One way or another she'd find out. He just didn't want that to happen.

Sasuke looked up at Naruto. There in front of him sat his best friend—the closest thing to a brother that he ever had ever since the unfortunate incident involving his _real_ brother and his clan. As much as he hated to admit it, Naruto was someone that he was able to rely on perhaps, the most when it came to things like this. The Uchiha prodigy let out a sigh.

"Well…should we tell Sakura about all this?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders and nonchalantly places his arms behind his head.

"I dunno. You tell me."

"…"

"…I mean, she's a part of this, y'know. But it's all a _family_ issue. I think that only members of the family should have a say in all this."

Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes, and promised to slap himself later for what he was about to say.

"You idiot. You're a part of the family too…"

The said idiot turned to face Sasuke with a giant, cheesy looking smile.

"…am I your brother in the family?"

Ignoring him, Sasuke continued speaking.

"So...should we tell Sakura or not?"

Naruto shrugged his shoulders.

"Sure, why not? I mean…we ARE Team 7, right?"

"…hn."

"So…?"

"…"

Naruto cleared his throat and stared at Sasuke expectantly.

"…what do you want now?"

Naruto's smile only grew wider…and Sasuke's patience only ran thinner.

"When are you gonna tell her?"

A sigh escaped Sasuke's lips before he could stop it. The shinobi shrugged.

"Maybe later on…"

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ComeComeParadise Corner:

Okay…so this chapter isn't as long as my past chapters, but…it's longer than the last one. I'm still kinda lost and unsure as into where I wanna go with this story, so…

Anyways, please remember to **REVIEW!**

**No flames!** If there are any complaints, submit them in the form of constructive criticism! XD


	31. SasuGAY?

Kill Itachi: 33

Keep the bishi: 30

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"_When are you gonna tell her?"_

_A sigh escaped Sasuke's lips before he could stop it. The shinobi shrugged._

"_Maybe later on…"_

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Sasuke left Naruto's office that day feeling deeply troubled. How on Earth was he supposed to tell Sakura about all this? Oh the horror! He could picture it now:

_Sasuke: Sakura. Itachi wants you dead._

_Sakura: Oh wow, really? How come?_

_Sasuke: Because he's the crazy one in my family._

Sasuke groaned. How do you tell someone that your evil, psychotic, sadistic, stupid, hated, and mainly evil brother was out to get them? Sasuke stuffed his hands roughly in his pockets and walked off to the woods where he used to watch Itachi train when they were younger.

_But then again, Itachi is only technically out to get Sakura—he attacked Naruto instead…_

Oh great, he was brooding again. _Curse you Itachi._

Sasuke was desperate to get all these thoughts out of his head, and what better way to do so than to train? The raven-haired avenger dug in his pouch and pulled out several kunai. He eyed each and every one of the targets closely, and remembered the target that lay behind the rock—in his blind spot. Before he started, Sasuke had to stop himself from activating his sharingan to help assist him in his target practice—he didn't want to rely on his sharingan too much—for fear of going " blind" (from what he could tell) like Itachi.

The Uchiha prodigy closed his eyes and inhaled and exhaled before leaping up into the air. He kept his eyes closed the entire time while turning and throwing the kunai at the targets. When he got to his final target, Sasuke used the two kunai that remained in his hands. He threw one at a certain angle, and then threw the other kunai to help angle the first kunai. Sasuke landed on the ground with cat-like balance and walked off. He stopped in his tracks, however, when a gust of wind blew by, carrying memories of his recent encounter with Itachi with them.

"Damn it."

In less than an instant, Sasuke reached into his holster and flung a kunai at a nearby tree. The kunai hit the tree dead center, piercing right through the entire trunk of the tree, and the trunks of several trees behind it before piercing deep into another nearby boulder. The Uchiha walked off, broodier than ever.

Sakura, who had been hiding nearby, (she remembered to conceal her chakra this time), watched in astonishment at the sight that lay before her. _He…he managed to hit the target that lay behind the rock—in his blind spot, dead center…and not only that…_

She glanced at each and every one of the targets. Embedded deep within them right on the bull's eye was a kunai. _…Not only that…he also pierced into the targets so deeply._ Sakura ran up to the nearest target and ran her fingers over it. It was made of wood, but was extremely thick—hard stuff to pierce through with a mere metal kunai.

She took a minute to look at the trees and rock that Sasuke's final kunai pierced through and involuntarily gulped. _I didn't even see him reach for a kunai…_

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Sasuke walked up to the Team 7 meeting spot. Kakashi was already there waiting for him, and surprisingly, he wasn't passing time by reading his favorite ComeComeParadise books. Go figure.

"Yo."

"…" Sasuke nodded in acknowledgement, and he took a seat beside his ex-mentor.

"…Sakura went looking for you earlier. As you can see, she isn't back yet."

"..Hn." Another nod.

"…where were you?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Training."

_Oh wow, now we finally have a "conversation"…_

"…Naruto wont be joining us today. He—"

"—I know. I visited him already."

Kakashi glanced at his former student pitifully and sighed. _Sheesh…_

The two men sat together in silence, side by side. On-lookers and passer-bys glanced at the two men, who seemed to look very content sitting side by side, and began to whisper and point at the two of them.

Sasuke, who was already in a bad enough mood could only feel his blood-pressure rising. He released some of this pent-up frustration by glaring at each and every single one of the passer-bys. It worked for a while—Sasuke didn't really feel the need to kill anyone of them…but then again, it only worked for a while. Before long, Sasuke found himself silently counting down to himself in a pathetic attempt to calm himself down.

"Geez, look at that black-haired guy. He's glaring at us as if he thinks we'd steal the gray-haired guy from him." _five…_

"Hey, check them out!" _four…_

"Whoa!" _three…_

"Wow, those two are getting it _on!_" _two…_

"I wonder if one of them will work up the nerve to hold the other guy's hand?" _twooo…_

"Well, you wonder if they'll hold hands, and **_I_** wonder if they both have a –beep-" _t-twoo…_

"But they're both so good-looking! Really, what a waste…" _t-t…_

By now, Sasuke's eyebrow was twitching terribly. Kakashi, on the other hand, seemed to be ignoring everyone else easily—the man had his nose buried behind a book. Too bad it wasn't a ComeComeParadise book.

_Of all the times to **NOT** be reading his hentai, why now?_

Sasuke felt the sudden urge to punch his former sensei…to his dismay, Kaka-sensei was reading a comic book with the most ridiculous title—**101 reasons why you should review this story**. Sasuke groaned. It was then that he remembered that he was in the middle of his countdown—and that he was already on the number two. He had no idea how much more of this torture he could take.

_Kami-sama, take me now, I've seen what hell's like._ Even the whole horror of his dead clan couldn't possibly compare to all the mental agony he was going though now. Okay, maybe it could, but at the moment, Sasuke was having a hell of a time—literally. _Any minute now, Sakura…_

"Look mommy! Those two boys are on a date!"

That was it. The Uchiha had finally snapped. Instantly, Sasuke snapped his eyes open, sharingan activated. The onlookers stopped in their tracks, paralyzed with fear. In no time they were all scurrying off and away.

"…"

Kakashi, who had seen it all happen, smiled under his mask as he gently put his comic book away.

"It's about time. I was wondering when you'd snap."

"…Hn."

**Okay, since a number of my reviewers didn't bother to read my authors note at the end of the story, I decided to put it in the MIDDLE of the story this time. Let's see if anyone decides to just scroll past this. XD Anyways, I still have writer's block—I have no idea how a certain something is gonna happen, and I'm a busy person. I can't update as fast as many of you would like me to, and for that I apologize. I know that my last chapter was short—I wrote about that in my author's note at the end of the last chapter. But eh, I don't blame the certain people for not reading the author's note. The fact that they bothered to review is enough to make me happy. XP I just wanted to get certain points across. And also…I think that I made Sasuke OOC this chapter. I hope you guys and gals will forgive me for that! XD I'm not mad, lols! So anyways…yah…enjoy the story! Carry on…**

At that moment, as if on cue, Sakura poofed in front of the two lovebirds—er, _men._

"Yo!"

Kakashi looked up at Sakura.

"Oh dear…you're late."

Sakura brought her index finger up to her lower lip and glanced upwards, assuming a thinking position.

"Well, you see, I was lost on—"

"Save your excuses," Sasuke muttered, "It took you long enough to get here."

The torture that he was made to put up with while waiting for Sakura was enough for any man who had any sense of dignity to be as upset, if not more upset than he was. No man enjoyed being called gay…unless they were gay themselves, or if they had a comic book like Kaka-sensei to read, and Sasuke was no different. Especially since he was sure that at least _half_ of the villiage (and actually, probably half of the NAruto fandom) thought that he was gay. Sasuke let out a sigh. His sexuality was getting to be a _very_ sensitive subject.

Sakura however, remained all the more oblivious to Sasuke's extra tenseness, and the reasons for his behavior. Upset that he accused her of making up an excuse for being late, she huffed angrily and ran to catch up with him.

"I'm serious! I was lost on my way here! And besides, you were the one that was late—I just went to look for you."

"…"

Sasuke walked further up ahead, increasing speed all the while remaining cool in his composture. Sakura saw this and picked up her pace to catch up with Sasuke.

"Besides, only Kaka-sensei makes up lame excuses for being late."

"…"

Sasuke sped up even more and walked further up ahead, without breaking a sweat mind you, while increasing the gap that lay between him and Sakura. Sakura, seeing this, angrily rushed to keep up with Sasuke. Kakashi, who was waaaaay up ahead of them remained oblivious to the miniature "race" that was going on behind him.

By the time the three of them reached their training grounds, Sakura was gasping for air, Sasuke was watching Sakura oddly (he wasn't tired at all), and Kakashi was reading a ComeComeParadise book while waiting for Sakura to catch her breath. Sasuke took notice of the orange book that Kakashi was reading and gushing over, and glowered. _He had a hentai book all along?_

After waiting for a few more minutes, Sakura felt like she could finally breathe properly. And thus, Team 7's training for the day began.

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At the end of their training session, (Sasuke had to convince Kakashi that he and Sakura did **NOT **need to learn mouth to mouth), the three of them stopped by the local sushi bar. (Ichiraku isn't open yet) It was already dark, and neither of them had eaten since training had begun.

Kakashi watched his two students eat in silence and felt himself smiling. He didn't exactly remember the last time he felt so…_accomplished._ He remembered the day when Team 7 had just formed, back when Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were all genin.

"_Hmm…based on my first impression of you guys…**I HATE YOU.**"_

"_The three of you don't have to worry about going back to the Academy…the three of you are hopeless. More schooling would be pointless. **None of you will ever be shinobi.**"_

Kakashi watched his students eat. _Boy was I wrong…_

He had to admit—not many people get to boast the fact that they trained and taught the Hokage himself…even if the Hokage happened to be a total idiot more times than not…and many consider the fact that he had taught one of the sole surviving members of the Uchiha clan something noteworthy…even IF he was a brooding male that willingly handed himself over to a purple-eye shadow wearing pedophile…his gaze fell upon Sakura, the girl that went from a weak Sasuke fangirl to one of the most powerful kunoichi that trained under the Godaime herself. Not only that, but Sakura is now the Uchiha's fiancée. He chuckled silently. Perhaps of all his students, she was the one that changed the most. _But then…_

Kakashi's one visible eye fell upon Sasuke. Itachi _is_ still around, after all. And everyone, including Sasuke has heard of Itachi's attack on Naruto.

"Kaka-sensei, aren't you hungry?"

Taken by surprise, Kakashi looked his one female student in the eye. Smiling, he pointed at his mask.

"No thanks. I can't eat with this thing on!" XD

Sakura looked away suspiciously. She remembered the first and last time that team 7 worked together to find out what was under that mask of Kakashi's. Now, she found herself wondering what lay beneath the mask under the mask. _Hopefully not another mask…_She still thought that Kakashi was hiding big teeth under his mask though.

Meanwhile, Kakashi's face (well, what you can see from it) grew serious.

"Sasuke."

The said person looked up wordlessly. He was about to enjoy his onigiri, so it'd better be something good.

"…about Itachi…"

Sasuke scowled and proceeded to devour his onigiri, while Kakashi pressed further into the subject.

"…I know that you know that NAruto was attacked by him."

"…" Sasuke began to chew slower.

"Naturally, since Naruto's the Hokage, the chief council, advisors, and elders want your brother dead."

"…" Sasuke placed his onigiri down.

"Sasuke-kun…"

Upon hearing Sakura's voice, he remembered that he still had to tell her about what he and Naruto were talking about earlier that day. He took a sip of his tea, and Kakashi continued speaking.

"…they want to send the ANBU and several other of our strongest ninja after him because if your brother can put our Hokage in such a state, then he is a stronger threat to the rest of our village. They haven't really bothered much with your brother in the past because he didn't do much to harm our villiage, but this time he came on his own—on his own will, not the Akatsuki's…and we believe that your brother is behind the demise of the _entire_ Akatsuki. His power and strength was already way above that of Orochimaru…and now, they are led to believe that it's at an extremely unstable level now…the chief council has outruled and outvoted Naruto, and they planned on sending out our finest shinobi to go after Itachi…"

"…"

Sasuke was upset. This whole revenge thing on his brother…that was his mission, and his alone. They didn't get it. He was the only one that can kill Itachi. He's told himself that time and time again, and he didn't want anyone to interfere with that.

"…But…"

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow.

"..But…?" He echoed.

"…You know Naruto. He's a stubborn as a donkey…"

_That he is…_

"…He stuck up for you. He said that it was a family matter, and left it at that. Naturally, the council opposed that thought, but Naruto just kept repeating that it's a family matter."

"…"

Sakura smiled.

"That sounds just like Naruto…"

Sasuke pondered this for a moment.

"…and your point is…?"

Kakashi glanced at Sasuke with an all-knowing smile.

"…nothing. Just thought I'd share that with you."

Suddenly, Kakashi looked as if he left something out. He glanced at Sakura, a serious and stern look in his eyes. Then he turned to Sasuke.

"Sasuke. I heard that Naruto didn't really bother to fight back when he was attacked. When I asked him why, he said that Itachi had the wrong guy…"

"Kakashi. Let's call it a night."

A flash of stern-ness and urgency flashed through Kakashi's one visible eye.

"Sasuke, you know as well as I do that if we don't tell her—"

"—Kakashi. It's late. Let's call it a night."

Sasuke got up and placed enough money to cover the entire bill on the table and walked off.

Sakura watched, curiousity written all over her face.

"…"

She turned to face Kakashi and gave him a quick smile.

"Kaka-sensei, I'd better be going now. Thanks for training today! Bye!"

The sock-faced pervert let out a deep sigh before returning his student's smile and waving good bye. He watched as Sakura ran towards the same direction as Sasuke.

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"Sasuke-kun!"

"…" Silently cursing to himself, Sasuke stopped walking and waited for Sakura to catch up.

"…Sasuke-kun…"

"…"

"…you're hiding something from me, aren't you…?"

"…" _damn._

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**ComeComeParadise Corner:**

**Okay, for those of you who are looking forward to a sasusaku kiss, well…it's coming! Don't worry! My goal is to have them kiss more than once in this story…so that in itself is okay, right? Lol, anyways, if you want a kiss ASAP, all I can say is that you wont have to wait long! (hint, hint) If anyone asks about a kiss in the review, needless to say, I wont be too happy, but whatevs. Not everyone has time to read an author's note. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to…**

**REVIEW!**


	32. Walking with Sasuke

Kill Itachi: 34

Keep the bishi: 32

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"_Sasuke-kun!"_

"…" _Silently cursing to himself, Sasuke stopped walking and waited for Sakura to catch up._

"…_Sasuke-kun…"_

"…"

"…_you're hiding something from me, aren't you…?"_

"…" _damn._

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The two of them stood there in the moonlight. It was the road that led to the Uchiha living area—a road that was empty for obvious reasons. Sasuke stood on the road with his hands stuffed in his pockets, motionless.

"Sasuke-kun…I'm not stupid. I know that you're hiding something from me…Is it about your brother?"

Sakura stood there and smiled while Sasuke let his head drop. He stood there starting at the floor wordlessly. Sakura began to sheepishly chuckle as she scratched the back of her head.

"…I guess that I shouldn't be asking anyways. It's none of my business, right Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke's eyes fell downcast.

"…"

Of course it was her business! His whole conversation with Naruto earlier that day was about Sakura! But that was the thing—he had no idea what to say. The entire day, he was avoiding the possibility of the topic about his brother being brought up, and his plan was sailing smoothly until his former sensei decided to sink the SS. Sasuke's plans. It all went crashing down from there. Why oh why did he have it so tough?

"…I…I'm sorry about bothering you. I understand that your brother is a sensitive topic that I shouldn't ask you to share if you're not ready."

Sakura looked away from Sasuke's back and cast her eyes downwards. It was then that a cloud covered the moon that was hovering above them, thus shielding its rays of moonlight and darkening the street. There were times when Sakura thought that she didn't know a thing about Sasuke—that he was still a big mystery, despite the fact that they had known each other for years…and this was one of those times.

"…"

That's right. Sasuke **was**n't ready. Keyword: **was**. He let out a sigh.

Sakura, having heard the sigh, took it as Sasuke being tired and wanting to be left alone. She smiled a sorrowful smile and began to walk away. Come to think about it, what DID she know about Sasuke? Other than information on his past and present, what else was there? She didn't even know if he wore boxers. (see the chapter titled :towels Galore) After all this time, all their moments together, all she really knew about Sasuke was what we knew.

"**Stop.**"

Sakura halted almost immediately, startled and taken quite aback by Sasuke's sudden…speaking. She stood there, her back facing his.

Sasuke didn't know why or how it happened, but somehow, he found himself easily doing what he was stressed over the entire day. He spent a good chunk of the day avoiding and trying to figure out how he was supposed to tell Sakura about the conversation he had with Naruto that morning, yet somehow, when he was actually WITH Sakura, the words just…came to him. There was just something about Sakura that made it so easy for him to open up to her. He found that out during the bell testing back when they were genin. For unknown reasons, he found himself telling a girl that he knew for only a couple of days bits and pieces of his past that he had been unable to tell anyone else. It scared him how vulnerable he was in front of her—and that was precisely one of the many reasons why he deliberately pushed her away in the past.

"…what Kakashi and I were talking about…"

"…"

Sakura stood there listening to each and every single one of his words.

"…we were talking about _you_."

(A moment of silence—broken by our very own cherry blossom)

"…me?"

Sakura echoed, and Sasuke nodded.

"Yah…you."

They continued to stand where they were—a short distance apart from each other, with one's back facing the others.

"But…why?"

Sakura brought her hand up to her heart and felt it beating at a faster pace than what she was used to. Was she…_scared?_

"…Naruto and I were talking about that earlier this morning. He thinks that Itachi had the wrong person when he attacked him."

"…"

"Itachi attacked Naruto because he thought that Naruto was changing me…and that because of him, I lack hatred."

Sasuke found himself smirking at that last statement. _That I lack hatred…_He remembered the time when Itachi said that to him…and that he believed it. He cursed his own foolishness. _Who needs to fight for hatred when they can fight for those that are precious to them…_Sakura taught him that a while back. _And to think that she was the last person I'd expect to teach me something._

Sasuke continued speaking.

"…But Naruto thinks that it was you that changed me."

Sakura was taken aback. She changed Sasuke? She didn't even know that much about him.

"That's why they're concerned and worried about you."

Sakura smiled. _But what about Sasuke-kun?_

Meanwhile, Sasuke was shifting uncomfortably.

"…You…you know more about me than you think…"

Sakura snapped her head up. _Great, so he's a mind-reader also?_

"How did you…"

Sasuke shrugged, and despite the fact that they both had their backs facing each other, Sakura _knew_ that he just shrugged.

She felt the corners of her mouth tug into a smile.

"Thanks."

"…hn."

A gust of wind blew by. "_That's why they're concerned and worried about you."_ Sakura took in the breeze, and exhaled slowly.

"…What about you?"

"…?"

Sasuke turned around and cocked an eyebrow.

"What…"

Sakura turned around to face Sasuke, who was already looking at her with a cocked eyebrow. The cloud that was covering the moon earlier moved away with the earlier breeze, and the area once again was lit up with the bright moonlight. The two shinobi stood there, now facing each other. The male continued to watch his better half, with the word "Dwah?" written all over his face. The female, lacking enough courage to continue staring into the male's onyx eyes averted her gaze to the ground.

"…what about you? Were you concerned and worried about me too?"

"…"

Sasuke was taken aback by the question he was presented with. _There's one you don't see everyday…_He sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Don't ask such stupid questions when the answers are obvious."

Sakura stood there staring with her eyes wide open.

"So you _were_ worried about me?"

"…"

The Uchiha shrugged his shoulders and walked off. Sakura watched his retreating figure and smiled. Running to catch up with him, she smiled softly while looking down and walking beside him.

"Y'know…you could've just said 'yes'."

Sakura held her hands behind her back and looked up to smile at Sasuke. _But I'd much rather have him do things the way he does._

Sasuke glanced at her indifferently, then averted his eyes and kept them on the street as he continued walking. Sakura, noticing this reached for and held Sasuke's hand, intertwining his fingers with hers. Sasuke didn't object—he _knew_ that no one else was around.

"You know Sasuke-kun…you're a big mystery."

"…"

Sasuke glanced at the odd girl beside him while turning the corner. The odd girl giggled softly when she took notice of his brief, short glance.

…_but I love solving mysteries. They're fun._

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**Okay folks, I'm so glad that everyone read the author's note last chapter! I'm crying tears of joy! And since it worked so great last time, I may (from now on) have my author's notes in the middle since I usually have announcements to make anyways.**

**THERE IS NO KISS IN THIS CHAPTER. Yah, I'm sorry 'bout that. I came up with a little cliffy before I got to the kiss…and it's not like I promised one this chapter—I promised a kiss SOON. But since I'm sure there are a couple of people that are totally bummed out, I give you my word that…(and I was gonna keep this a secret and surprise Y'all)**

**THE KISS IS IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! I PROMISE! IT'S _MY PROMISE TO YOU! _ (pun intended)**

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Finally, Sasuke reached his doorsteps. He glanced at Sakura. He had no idea why she decided to follow him home, and to be honest, his guess was as good as hers. Why did she continue to follow and walk with him when she could've just left and gone home? And awkward silence followed, which the Uchiha decided to break.

"…So…you followed me home…"

Deciding that the awkwardness would only grow if she kept quiet, Sakura responded.

"…Yah…I did…"

"…"

"…"

"So…"

"Yah…"

"Hn."

"Uh-Huh."

The two ninjas stood by Sasuke's doorsteps. The situation just went from awkward to awkward-er, if there even was such a word. The two of them sighed simultaneously.

Sakura was racking her brain, and cursing herself for being such an idiot. Sure, she could just leave right now and end all this misery, but still, it wasn't like she could just cheerfully leave and say good bye. That'd be….stupid.

Sasuke on the other hand, was drawing a blank. He had no idea what to think. He brought a girl home. What would a hormonally challenged, broody, angsty, emo, most likely raped by Orochimaru, hawt teenager that wants to kill his own brother think in a situation like this? Your guess is just as good as mine, and his guess is just as good as any.

"It's late…"

Sakura sighed.

"Yah."

"There are drunk bar hoppers out right now."

"Yup…"

"Lee's probably out there with Gai, too."

Sakura shuddered.

"mmhm."

"And you can get raped by the other people."

"Uh-huh."

"…You should stay at my place for the night."

"I probably should."

The moment that was settled, the two of them stood by Sasuke's doorsteps, minds on pause and instant replay.

_OMG…_

_WHAAAAAAA?_

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ComeComeParadise Corner: **IMPORTANT!**

Well, since I'm not getting any new reviewers, I'm thinking of closing the pole soon. Should I?

And in case any of you guys skipped the author's note that I placed in the middle of my story, please do me a favor and read it. I LOVE all the people that read my authors notes, I love them all! But if YOU didn't, please do. I really don't want any complaints on the lack of kiss. It's explained up there in the middle.

So anyways, **REVIEW! **


	33. aishiteru

**Kill Itachi: 36**

**Keep the bishi: 36**

**ComeComeParadise**: ….O.0 ZOMG! It's a Tie, It's a friggin Tie! I can't have a tie! GAH!

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"…_You should stay at my place for the night."_

"_I probably should."_

_The moment that was settled, the two of them stood by Sasuke's doorsteps, minds on pause and instant replay._

_OMG…_

_WHAAAAAAA?_

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Sakura's mind was racing as she stared at Sasuke's back. He was currently trying to unlock his door, but he seemed to have a tough time getting the **key in the hole**. (A/N: …I hope that didn't sound the way I think it sounds.)

Sakura let out an inward sigh.

_Sasuke's probably just as confused as I am…_

After some a few **tugs and grunts** (A/N: O.O), Sasuke finally managed to unlock **his door**. (A/N: ……)When the two of them had entered the house, it was freezing cold, and dark. Sakura couldn't help but compare the state of Sasuke's house—cold, dark, and practically empty, to Sasuke's heart.

"Sasuke-kun, why aren't there any—"

Instantly, with a flick of his finger, the entire room lit up. Sakura found herself staring at the clean, beautiful house once again. She had only been at Sasuke's house once before; and even then she didn't get that good a look at the place. Sakura slowly brought her hand up to where the pendant of the necklace that Sasuke had given her lay. Each and every single night, she would place the necklace beneath her pillow as she slept. She had treasured it from the very day Sasuke had given it to her. After confirming that the necklace was indeed still with her, Sakura couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. When she looked up, she saw that Sasuke was fiddling with his necklace. The kunoichi smiled at the sight of her love playing around with a necklace. Sometimes, she forgot that they were both only fifteen.

"Make yourself at home."

Sasuke's eyes instantly went from his necklace to Sakura's eyes.

"I'll sleep in my parents' old room…….."

There was a hint of nostalgia and sadness in Sasuke's voice, and Sakura couldn't help but sympathize with him once more.

Sasuke let out a deep sigh, and put the necklace back under his shirt. His eyes darted straight at the hallway before them.

"…And Sakura, you can stay in my old room. That way, we'll be sleeping right next door from each other. If you need anything, just let me know."

Sakura stood there. She knew that it would be painful for Sasuke to spend the night in his parents' room, but she didn't want to bring them up. She felt that it'd be a lot easier for Sasuke to just stay away from their old master bedroom.

"Sasuke-kun…"

He stopped walking, but his back remained facing her.

"Hn."

Sakura shifted her feet uncomfortably while clearing her throat.

"W-Well…you see…"

"…I'm listening."

Sakura smiled, and for a moment, the weights on her chest lifted ever so slightly.

"…Wh-Why don't I sleep in your parents' old room instead? I mean, I'm sure that you wouldn't like me sleeping in your bed…"

Sasuke cast his eyes downward.

"…It doesn't matter. I myself haven't slept in my old bed since that night."

Sakura looked at Sasuke, clearly shocked.

"Then where did you stay all this time?"

"…"

Sasuke stood there silently, absorbed in his own world.

"I…stayed at my aunt's old house. I've been staying there all this time."

Sakura gave Sasuke a look of pure disbelief.

"Then why were you walking towards this place when I was following you instead of your aunt's place?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, and Sakura couldn't help but follow the motion of his black orbs.

"…I come here every night."

"Why?"

The handsome man inwardly groaned. She was making him talk in a couple of minutes, a whole lot more than he talks each week. Sakura would wear his tongue down for sure.

"…just to think…but it's late, and I'd rather not walk all the way to my aunt's house from here. It's on the other side of the Uchiha residential area."

"Oh…"

The two shinobi stood by the hall a moment longer before Sasuke started to continue walking.

"Follow me. I'll show you to my room."

"But Sasuke-kun, I want to stay at your parent's room."

Sasuke turned around to face Sakura. Her cat-green eyes stared at him for what felt like nine lives. He smirked as he silently thanked her. He knew why she was insisting on spending the night in his parents' room, but he had his reasons for things.

"…I'll show you to my room."

And at that, Sasuke continued leading the way to his old room.

"But Sasuke-kun, I want to—"

"—stay at my room. I'm bringing you there right now."

Sakura let out a sigh of defeat.

"Give up already?"

Sakura looked up, and her emerald green eyes met Sasuke's obsidian ones. But before she could protest that she had given up, Sasuke had already opened the door, and pushed her in.

"Shower's down this hall, third door on your right. I'll be next door if you have any questions."

When Sakura opened her mouth to speak, she found herself facing a closed door. Sasuke had closed the door before she could tell him about spending the night in his parents' room.

Sakura groaned, and dragged herself over to Sasuke's bed. She collapsed onto the soft mattress, and inhaled deeply. It was strange. Although Sasuke said that he hadn't slept in the room since the night of the massacre, Sakura couldn't help but take note that the sheets smelled just _like_ Sasuke. She pushed herself up into an upright sitting position and let her eyes wander around the room. Everything was so empty and plain. Her eyes continued traveling, until they landed on the nearby shelf. It was there that her eyes stopped and locked themselves on the individual shelves.

"Huh…"

Sakura got back up and walked over to the shelves, her curiosity growing with each step that she took. When she finally arrived at the shelf, she couldn't help but gasp lightly. Each and every single one of the picture frames that were there had been turned down. Sakura flipped one of the picture frames up, and immediately found herself staring at a beautiful woman with long black hair, moonlight pale skin, and alluring black eyes.

_Was this Sasuke's mother…?_

Sakura returned the photo back to its original position and flipped another photo up. She now found herself staring at a handsome brown haired man carrying an infant, with tiny black specs of hair adorning his smooth, bald, pale head. Sakura couldn't help but smile.

_That HAS to be Sasuke-kun with his father when he was a baby._

Sakura continued looking at the other pictures, and with each photo that she looked at, she found herself becoming more and more familiar with the younger, happier, and genuinely_ smiling _Sasuke.

_He was so normal…so…happy…_

Sakura felt her smile crumble. She was upset that she never knew the Sasuke she saw in the photos. The only Sasuke she knew was the one that wanted revenge. Wanting to get rid of the sudden negative thoughts, Sakura ran to shower, in hopes of washing away all the nasty thoughts along with her bizarre day.

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**ComeComeParadise Corner:**

**Okay folks, about the little author's notes up there…yah, I just couldn't help myself. I'm just that sick minded! XD And in case any of you didn't bother looking at the pole up there, well, currently, everything's TIED. I repeat, TIED. And well, to those of you that read my author's notes, thanks. I know you do, but there are still other people that don't. Don't worry, you don't have to write "I read your author's note, alright already!" XD Thanks everyone!**

**Oh, and if you want to borrow my idea of having an author's note in the middle of a story, by all means, go ahead! XD It seriously doesn't matter to me. XP**

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After showering and blow drying her hair, Sakura wrapped herself in a towel. Right as she began gathering and folding her clothes, there was a knock at the bathroom door.

"Who is it?"

The moment the words left her mouth, Sakura resisted the urge to slap herself. She and Sasuke were the only people in the house. If she's in the shower, and someone's knocking, then it was most likely Sasuke knocking on the door. It wasn't rocket science. Sakura thanked Kami-Sama, God, Allah, Buddha, and all the other "Big Boys" that she knew. (I'm a Christian, BTW) At least Sasuke wasn't saying anything. But despite that, she swore that Sasuke was smirking behind the door.

"I-I mean, what is it Sasuke-kun?"

More silence. By now, Sakura KNEW that Sasuke was smirking more than ever behind that door. She brought her hand up to her forehead.

"…I brought you some old clothes. I'm leaving them by the door."

"…thanks."

He didn't respond, and after waiting a few minutes, Sakura finally decided to open the door and grab the clothes. She went back into the bathroom, and began changing. She couldn't help but smile as she slipped on the old, wide-collared blue shirt that Sasuke wore when he was only twelve. Sakura turned around and stared at the Uchiha crest on the back of the shirt. She silently admired how it looked on her, and she excitedly remembered that she too, would soon be wearing that crest instead of her own.

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When Sakura went back into Sasuke's room, she couldn't help but remember the photos, and how happy Sasuke looked as a child. She wanted to see more pictures, so she started looking where almost any person would look first: under the bed. Unsurprisingly, there were a couple of photos under the bed, but hardly enough. Sakura found two pieces of paper and an old frame. Curious, Sakura pulled them out from under the bed. It never occurred to her that what she was doing counted as snooping and butting into other people's business.

Sakura glanced at the frame first since it was the biggest. It was a family picture. The same beautiful woman that Sakura saw in an earlier picture was carrying an older Sasuke, and the dad was standing beside her with the emotion of a rock. But Sakura was puzzled to see that the final person's picture had been ripped out of the happy family portrait.

She placed the frame down gently, and glanced at the two pieces of "paper". It turned out that the two pieces of paper were really two halves of a whole photo. On one half was Sasuke, and on the other half was another person that bore a striking resemblance to Sasuke, only he had a ponytail. Sakura placed the two photos together, and inhaled sharply. It was a picture of Itachi giving Sasuke a piggy back ride, and

the two brothers were smiling.

_The two of them were acting like normal brothers…who would've known…_

Her eyes reverted back to the picture frame.

_Then that means…that the torn out photo is …_

Sakura's eyes widened.

…_Itachi…_

Sakura sat on the floor with a blank, spacey look on her face.

_The two of them used to act just like how a normal brother and sister would…and yet now…what on earth happened?_

**Itachi killed the clan, stupid.**

Sakura snapped back into reality. After several months of slumber, it would seem that Inner Sakura had awoken…

_You're right._

…

…temporarily. Sakura let out a sigh. Sasuke hadn't made a single sound at all since the whole "knocking on the door" incident while she was showering earlier. Was he okay?

_I'd better go check on him to see if he's okay._

Sakura got back up and slowly tip toed over next door. She knocked gently.

"Ano, Sasuke-kun?"

"Hn."

"May…May I come in?"

"…Hn."

Sakura took that as a yes, and slowly opened the door. It was dark inside the room, its only source of light at the moment being the rays of moonlight that shone through the open window. There, by the window sill, Sakura caught sight of a dark silhouette. Recognizing the outlines of the hair almost immediately, Sakura made her way over the hunched over figure.

"Do you need anything, Sakura?"

Sakura was startled by Sasuke's sudden speaking.

"M-May I sit next to you?"

The quiet shinobi shrugged his shoulders in response. Sakura interpreted the shrug as a yes, and plopped down right beside him. The two shinobi sat there in silence, staring at the crescent moon above them. It shone brightly. After a few moments of staring, Sakura noticed that Sasuke was holding onto something.

"Sasuke-kun…is that a picture frame you're holding?"

"…"

Sakura understood why Sasuke wasn't responding. She could always see for herself if it was a frame or not.

"It's a picture of my dad."

"Oh…"

A moment of silence followed.

"He was the head of the Uchiha clan…and he was the one that taught me my Goukakkyu no jutsu." (Sp.?)

Sakura continued staring at the crescent moon as she listened to Sasuke speak.

"When I was younger, I asked my mom why my dad hated me…but she said that he didn't—that he talked about me all the time."

Sasuke raked his fingers through his black hair.

"…But he's dead now. And I never really found out what my dad said about me. I probably never will."

A gust of wind blew by.

"Sasuke-kun…I want to stay in this room. You should stay in your old room instead."

A smirk found its way across Sasuke's face.

"Why? So that I won't be reminded of my parents when I sleep here tonight?"

Sakura had a look of shock on her face as she tried to answer back with the right words.

"Well, uh…"

Sasuke's face now held a bitter expression.

"I'd rather spend the night in this room here and be reminded of my dead parents than spend the night in my old room, and be reminded of how weak I was back then, and how useless I was, and how I couldn't do anything to save them."

"Sasuke-kun—"

"That's why the least I can do is avenge them, and give their deaths some honor. To die at the hands of your own child—the person that you call your son, that is one of the most humiliating ways to die."

"And you think that having your youngest son kill off his only surviving relative, his very own _brother_ isn't humiliating at all?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Sakura…"

"Sasuke-kun…I'm sorry, it's just that you and Itachi were so close when you were younger. I had no idea—"

"You saw the photos?"

Sakura stopped talking right away.

"I…"

The avenger let out a deep sigh.

"It's fine."

The air around them grew cooler.

"Sasuke-kun…I really care about you. I worry about you every day…I just can't help it."

A smile found its way across Sasuke's face. It was rare moments like these that Sakura truly enjoyed being around Sasuke. She'd give up all the free ramen tickets she earned from treating so many patients as a medic nin, if she got to see Sasuke smile a real, genuine smile instead.

"I guess we both have that in common."

Sakura turned to face Sasuke.

"…Itachi _is_ still around."

This time, it was Sakura's turn to smile.

"Sakura…"

"Huh?"

"…"

Sasuke eyed her lips awkwardly. Memories of the last time they almost kissed came flooding back to him. Of course, back then, he technically wasn't himself.

Sakura took notice of this, and she remembered that Sasuke was disguised as Koji at one point. She giggled softly, at the thought. She said that she had to be loyal to Sasuke-kun, when it really was Sasuke all along.

Sasuke heard Sakura giggling, and cocked an eyebrow. Was she giggling _at_ him? His cheeks grew a very light tint of pink.

"You know…you really are annoying."

Sasuke placed the picture of his father down on the table behind him. (They're still sitting on the window sill)

Sakura rolled her eyes, which didn't go unnoticed by the Uchiha prodigy himself.

"…but annoying isn't always bad."

Sakura turned her head away and began giggling again. When she turned around, she found her face centimeters away from Sasuke's. His black hair brushed against her soft, pale skin, and their breaths were hot and unsteady.

Sakura heard loud heart beats, and she was certain that Sasuke heard them too. But she wasn't sure if it was her heart pounding, or his. For both of them, it was their first kiss, and neither of them knew what to do. Sakura's mind, for one, was racing faster than a speeding bullet. (lols!)

_Should I tilt my head? What do I do with my tongue? Is that his heart beating or mine?_

Before anymore questions could pop into her head, Sakura felt herself overwhelmed with a warm sensation, and her lips were pressed onto Sasuke's. The wind around them was cold, but neither of them seemed to notice. They were both warm enough. Suddenly, Sakura felt something wet poking at her lips. Smiling, she tilted her head and opened her mouth. Before long, all the questions she had about kissing were solved—their mouths seemed to know what to do on their own. After what seemed like several blissful moments, the two of them pulled away for air.

Sakura was blushing a shade of pink that put her hair to shame. Sasuke turned around, so that his blush wouldn't be seen by Sakura. After panting silently in the darkness, (A/N: ooh, naughty, naughty…) Sakura began giggling hysterically, and for some odd reason, Sasuke found himself smirking in response.

"I love you, Sasuke-kun."

Sakura grabbed Sasuke in a tight hug…

"Hn."

…which Sasuke somewhat returned awkwardly.

The two of them sat there in the darkness, unaware of how late it was, and unaware of the shadow perched on the nearby telephone pole…

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…and there you have it! There's the kiss! (Although I think that it turned out a whole lot crappier than I expected…) Sorry, if it wasn't as great as you guys wanted it to be. And about the shadow perched on the telephone pole…**It's not who you think it is. I repeat, the person on the telephone pole is NOT who you think it is!**

Anyways, so there's chapter 33. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to **REVIEW!**


	34. Mission impossible?

**Kill Itachi: 37**

**Keep the bishi: 36**

**ComeComeParadise**: ….As of now, the **poll is officially closed.** You guys can continue to vote, but I will no longer post the results. So even though it says that Itachi will die, it doesn't mean that he REALLY WILL FOR CERTAIN. The votes can change, but I wont post them anymore so that I can SURPRISE you all! XD

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"_I love you, Sasuke-kun."_

_Sakura grabbed Sasuke in a tight hug…_

"_Hn."_

…_which Sasuke somewhat returned awkwardly._

_The two of them sat there in the darkness, unaware of how late it was, and unaware of the shadow perched on the nearby telephone pole…_

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The shadow chuckled silently to himself as he watched his former students from the nearby pole. In an instant, he vanished into the breeze.

Sasuke went to bed that night feeling satisfied and with a sense of responsibility. He was with his favorite girl, and they were spending the night in his house…however wrong that that seemed, he only felt "right". Itachi was still out there, and Sasuke was all too aware of that fact. Since Sakura was sleeping in the next room, it would be a lot easier for him to protect her, if by any chance his jerk of a brother decided to pay him a little visit. That, combined with his very first kiss (he is now no longer a sixteen year old kiss virgin), helped him sleep soundly that night.

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The two of them woke up the next morning at the sound of the chirping morning birds. It was time for yet another day of training with Kaka-sensei. Naruto, much to Sasuke's delight and Sakura's dismay, had plans that same morning. As the young couple made their way to the usual team 7 meeting spot, Sakura decided to voice her thoughts.

"Training isn't the same when Naruto's not around."

Sasuke heard this and nodded.

"You're right. The dobe usually slows us down with his brainless tactics. Since he won't be joining us today, we should get a lot more out of our training."

Sakura attempted to playfully punch Sasuke after he said what he said, but Sasuke, being an Uchiha, instinctively blocked her punch. She sighed.

"Geez Sasuke, give him a break. I think that Naruto makes training more fun. I mean, it's those brainless and unpredictable tactics of his that got him where he is today."

Sasuke continued walking, acting as if he didn't hear a word that Sakura had said. Sakura, seeing this, let out a sigh. When Sasuke decides to shut up in the middle of a conversation, it usually meant that either the conversation was over, or that he was thinking…but since it was Naruto that they were talking about, Sakura decided on the former rather than the latter.

The two of them arrived at the bridge, and there was no Kakashi in sight. There were no people passing by the bridge, and the entire area was pretty much empty. Sakura took notice of all this and instantly began to relive her first kiss with Sasuke from last night. They were alone then too. A blush was threatening to creep onto her face, and it was only made worse when Sakura turned around to find Sasuke staring at her. (from what she could tell anyways).

"Sakura."

Sakura jerked up from her thoughts at the sound of Sasuke's monotonous voice.

"Y-yah?"

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow.

"About last night…"

Sakura felt her cheeks flare up. Memories for Sasuke's lips, his hair, the warmth, EVERYTHING flooded back into her mind.

"It was my first time! I'm sorry if I wasn't that good at it!"

And at that, with his incredibly crappy timing, Kakashi decided to poof in.

"Wow, your first time...at what?"

Sakura jumped up and screamed, while Sasuke stood there confused as ever.

"GGGAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

Kakashi smiled beneath his mask and waved his hand nonchalantly.

"Yo."

The seething Sakura jumped up from the spot where she landed.

"You! You…you're…"

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders and jumped on in.

"…late."

All three of them sighed. Ever since their first meeting after Sasuke came back, they never managed to get the first conversation at the start of training right. Team 7 was losing its touch. Kakashi let out a sigh. He had lost the will to pose his trade mark excuse, but he still felt that it was worth a shot…for old times' sake.

"You see, I was lost on the road of life."

A random passerby glanced at the silver-haired jounin.

"So was I!"

Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi turned to face the passerby with expressions now more confused than ever. Sakura, who wasn't always the one to conceal her emotions (unless it was necessary), voiced everyone's thoughts.

"DWAH?"

The passerby glanced at his map and shrugged. Humming a random song, he skipped happily along the yellow brick-less road. Anyways…

Kakashi turned to face his students after all of them had finished recovering from their initial shock from the earlier encounter. Clearing his throat, Kakashi spoke.

"Alright guy…and girl…we have a mission today. We are to help deliver a vital scroll to our allies at Sand village. This scroll contains information about the Akatsuki that some members of the ANBU were able to uncover from their recent mission to the remains of Sound Village. They were searching the entire village for traces of Orochimaru's assistant Kabuto. After that war we had at this village, Orochimaru's right hand man vanished without a trace. Many of my fellow jonins were unable to find and locate his corpse, so it is now believed that he is still alive. The members of the ANBU failed that mission, but they also happened to stumble across some clues on their way back concerning the sudden disappearance of the Akatsuki. It is our job to deliver this copy to Sand to keep them informed and posted."

Kakashi eyed his students. Both seemed occupied in their own thoughts, and Kakashi understood why.

"You two were right to suspect that Sasuke's brother played a part on the demise of the Akatsuki…and yes, chances are that you will have to fight on this mission. However, you wont be alone."

Sakura perked up.

"Who else is coming with us, Kakashi-sensei?"

As if on cue, a familiar voice boomed in.

"Hey forehead girl. Did'ya miss me?"

Sakura turned around and found herself face to face with Ino.

"Oh my gosh, of course you pig!"

Sasuke, however didn't feel the same way. And anybody who knew Sasuke would understand why. Ino _was_ one of his most rabid fangirls of all time…in fact, she was the one that scarred Sasuke the most…not that he'd admit that or anything. He let out a sigh. The last thing he needed on a mission this important was a girl hanging all over him.

"Hey, don't forget about us!"

Chouji appeared behind Ino munching on a bag of chips. Behind him, a very tired looking Shikamaru was dragging his feet over to the bunch.

"Mendokuse, why'd you guys have to drag me along on this mission?"

"Shikamaru, what'd I tell you about dragging your feet?"

Shikamaru groaned.

"Troublesome woman…"

"SHUT UP!"

"OOH, BARBEQUE FLAVORED CHIPS!"

Sasuke and Sakura watched as Ino whupped Shikamaru while Chouji stood off to the side eating his chips. Sakura leaned over and whispered to Kakashi.

"Kaka-sensei, are you sure about this?"

"Don't ask me. Naruto was the one that assigned them to help you guys out." Kakashi said with a shrug.

Sakura let out a sigh. "He must have done this on purpose to bug Sasuke-kun."

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders and continued watching Ino beat the crap out of Shikamaru.

"Kakashi. How hard is this mission exactly? Do we really need six people to deliver a scroll?"

Kakashi turned to Sasuke with a smile.

"Sharper than ever. The thing is…..I'm not coming with you guys on this mission."

"And why not?" Sakura asked incredulously.

"Well, someone's gotta keep Naruto out of trouble."

Sakura rolled her eyes.

"I thought that that was Tsunade's job!"

"True, but as of now that job is mine. So good luck on the mission, don't get killed, and don't forget your sunscreen everyone!"

And at that, the silver haired-jounin poofed away. All four chuunins and Sasuke paused and then groaned.

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Sasuke and Sakura walked together after that. They lived on the same side of town anyways.

"Sakura about last night..."

Sakura blushed.

"Yeah Yeah, I know. I'm sorry. Like I said earlier, it was my first time..."

Sasuke smirked. "I wasnt talking about our **_kiss_**. I was gonna ask you how many pictures you looked at when you were in my room last night."

Sakura stood there. Her mind was on pause, and her face now put the color of her hair to shame.

"Sorry."

"..."

"Oh right, I saw all of them...sorry."

"...why are you sorry?"

"..."

Sasuke smirked as he bent over and let his face hover an inch away from Sakura's. This caused her face to turn even red...er, if that was even possible. Smirking at Sakura's reaction, he pulled his face away from hers and turned the corner.

"Later Sakura."

Sakura just stood there...perplexed.

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They set off at noon after packing and eating lunch at a yakitori stand. Before Kakashi left, he dropped a note saying that he put Shikamaru in charge. Shikamaru groaned and began to protest.

"Why don't you be in charge Sasuke?"

"Hn."

Everyone stood there puzzled. Chouji swallowed the mouthful of chips that he had eaten.

"Translation?"

Everyone turned to face Sakura.

"Oh, that means 'why don't you do it since Kakashi put you in charge?'"

Everyone sweatdropped. Shikamaru turned to face Sasuke.

"That's because you're the only Jounin here. I'm just a Chuunin."

"Ah."

Sakura was now presented with more puzzled looks.

"That means 'I lost my rank when I came back to this village. I'm not leading. You lead.'"

Everyone let out a sigh. Shikamaru glanced up at the sun. It was right overhead.

"Mendokuse…we need to get going soon. Alright, fine. I'll be the leader even though it's extremely troublesome. Does everyone have enough weapons and supplies?"

Each person pulled his or her pouch for everyone else to see and examine. After seeing that everyone was properly equipped, Shikamaru gave a nod of satisfaction.

"Okay, good. Since Sunagakure isn't too far away from our village, we shouldn't take more than three days to get there."

Shikamaru pulled out two identical scrolls from within his chuunin vest.

"This is a B-ranked mission, and it isn't to be taken lightly. As we travel, there is always a chance that a powerful enemy will come and try to steal the scroll."

Shikamaru handed one of the scrolls to Sasuke.

"This is a copy of the scroll that we'll be delivering. It'll be used as a decoy, and you are to protect it as if it's the real scroll. You are the strongest one here, and the enemies will be able to sense that. That way, they'll naturally think that you're the one holding the scroll and want to go after you. I'll hold onto the real scroll in the meantime. As the leader of this mission, I need you guys to trust me."

A warm breeze blew by, carrying several leaves with it. Chouji smiled. This wasn't his first time working with Shikamaru like this. He remembered the time when he, Shikamaru, Naruto, Neji, and Kiba were sent to retrieve Sasuke…but this time, Sasuke was there with them, and this time, Chouji is working with people that he never worked with before. (Sasuke and Sakura) He began to eat more and more. Sakura, seeing Chouji stuff his face at a rate much faster than usual became concerned.

"Choiji—"

"—Don't worry forehead girl, he always gets like that when he's excited before a mission." Ino said with a smile.

Shikamaru saw this and nodded. He agreed with Ino…he just felt that it was too troublesome to open his mouth and actually say that. The Nara cleared his throat and spoke.

"If there aren't any questions, then we're off."

Everyone nodded, and the ninja took off towards Sunagakure.

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**ComeComeParadise Corner:**

**Yo! If any of you are wondering about Itachi's "fate", then go up to the top and read the note I left by the pole. Those results are NOT, I repeat, NOT final. Anyways…I want to thank all of you who reviewed for reviewing. And for those of you who didn't get the last chapter at all, I'm really sorry. It turns out that the website had some issues the night I uploaded chapter 33…which also happens to be the chapter with the sasusaku kiss. My bad. Many sorries. XD **

**So…the Itachi fight isn't coming soon, as you now probably can tell, but it is COMING. Please remember that I just totally suck at fight scenes and they take me twice as long to write as a regular chapter. (okay, so I'm exaggerating a little…) I just missed Shikamaru since he's my favorite character…I mean, he's so bad-arse, is he not? XD Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter! Read on folks, read on!**

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The fivesome traveled in silence in order to conserve their energy. The afternoon sun was high above their heads and the heat was getting more and more unbearable with each step/leap/skip/hop that they took. There was less and less vegetation as they traveled. The ground was also getting drier as the traveled. By nightfall everyone stopped.

"Alright, this seems like a good place to stop. We should also refill our water bottles while we can. There will be less water as we travel, so get as much as you need and as much as you can carry. Let's set up camp."

Everyone obeyed Shikamaru without complaint. Team Konoha set up camp that night and pitched their tents.

"Ino, you'll keep guard from now till midnight with Sasuke since you're the loudest one."

The moment he said this, the Nara instantly regretted it. A moment later, there was a giant imprint of a hand on Shika's cheek. He rubbed his cheek painfully.

"Mendokuse…"

Sakura chuckled nervously.

"Who'll keep watch after Ino and Sasuke, Shikamaru?"

"Chouji will keep watch next since it's about time for his midnight snack. While he's eating, he surprisingly never lets his guard down during missions."

"Sakura. You'll have to work a double shift tonight. You'll be keeping guard with Chouji and for a couple of hours with me. Afterwards, I'll keep watch on my own while you get some rest. We'll all take turns working double shifts."

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**ComeComeParadise Corner:**

Okay, so I haven't updated in a while. Many, many sorries. I've got school, ya know? XD Anyways, there isn't much of a cliffie here, so I'm not THAT evil. Right? XD So don't forget to **REVIEW **and also, don't forget that there are **NO FLAMES ALLOWED!**

**ComeComeParadise**


	35. revenge or love?

**ComeComeParadise: Hello there! As many of you may or may not have noticed, there is no pole at the top of this chapter…and for pretty obvious reasons for those of you who read my author note in the MIDDLE of my last chapter. XP And once again, THANKS FOR ALL THE LOVELY REVIEWS!!!!! XD**

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"_Alright, this seems like a good place to stop. We should also refill our water bottles while we can. There will be less water as we travel, so get as much as you need and as much as you can carry. Let's set up camp."_

_Everyone obeyed Shikamaru without complaint. Team Konoha set up camp that night and pitched their tents._

"_Ino, you'll keep guard from now till midnight with Sasuke since you're the loudest one."_

_The moment he said this, the Nara instantly regretted it. A moment later, there was a giant imprint of a hand on Shika's cheek. He rubbed his cheek painfully._

"_Mendokuse…"_

_Sakura chuckled nervously._

"_Who'll keep watch after Ino and Sasuke, Shikamaru?"_

"_Chouji will keep watch next since it's about time for his midnight snack. While he's eating, he surprisingly never lets his guard down during missions."_

"_Sakura. You'll have to work a double shift tonight. You'll be keeping guard with Chouji and for a couple of hours with me. Afterwards, I'll keep watch on my own while you get some rest. We'll all take turns working double shifts."_

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Sakura and Ino had just finished digging a small hole for their fire. While the two of them set off to refill water bottles for the team, Sasuke was working on getting a fire going. Because their surrounding area was windy, Shikamaru suggested building a fire within a hole to prevent any unwanted fires. Unfortunately, it only made making the fire harder for Sasuke since he had to bend over more. As soon as he got a spark of flame, a lovely breeze would decide to blow by, taking any signs of flames away with it. Before long, Sakura and Ino were already done refilling all of the team's water bottles and "freshening up". Sasuke sat there frustrated. Shikamaru, who had been napping the entire time, woke up feeling hungry. He was surprised to see that the fire wasn't going yet.

"Sasuke, didn't I tell you to get a fire going?"

"…"

Sasuke remained silent. Sakura and Ino let out a sigh simultaneously. All was silent…save for the constant, loud sounds of Chouji chewing on his chips. Shikamaru glanced at Sasuke's hands. They were red, and after judging the position that Sasuke was posturing himself, Shikamaru instantly concluded that Sasuke had been at it for quite a while. However, there was one question still lingering in Shikamaru's genius mind:

"…what are you using those sticks for?"

Everyone looked at Shikamaru as if he's lost his 200 IQ mind. Clearing his throat, Sasuke answered monotonously.

"…These sticks are used to make a fire."

This time, Shikamaru's face bore a questioning expression.

"I thought you were a prodigy. Cant you create a fire with your Gokakyu jutsu?" (spelling?)

Everyone gawked. Chouji almost choked on his potato chips, and Sasuke could've sworn that he was close to choking on his own saliva. After muttering a few curses under his breath, Sasuke formed the seals, inhaled sharply, and got the fire going.

The group ate their meal of skewered yakitori (courtesy of Chouji) in an awkward silence. The Uchiha was trying to get rid of the feelings of utter humiliation that he felt, while the rest of the bunch were either trying hard to not laugh (Sakura and Ino), planning ahead and thinking of how troublesome everything was (Shika-kun), or too busy stuffing their face to have any other thoughts (Chouji).

Before long, darkness had set in, and the only source of light in the entire area was the fire that the team had going. Tents were pitched, and everyone, except for Sasuke and Ino were crawling into their tents. Before he disappeared into the warmth and "comfort" of his tent, Shikamaru spoke to Sasuke and Ino.

"If you guys see anything suspicious, warn all of us as soon as you possible can with a low whistle. You guys can whistle right?"

Ino nodded. Sasuke had never bothered trying to whistle but he figured that it shouldn't be too difficult to do, so he nodded as well. Satisfied with their replies, Shikamaru let out one last yawn before crawling back into his tent.

Sasuke and Ino sat on opposite sides of the fire. It wasn't long after when Sasuke spotted Ino grinning happily at him. _Great…_

"So, Sasuke-kun…"

_Here it comes…_

"…How's life?"

Sasuke gave a slight shrug before continuing to stare at the fire. However, he didn't have to look back up in order to know that the smug grin hadn't left Ino's face.

"Do you get along with_ Sakura_ fine?"

Sasuke jerked slightly but quickly regained his composture. That seriously caught him off-guard. He remained silent, but that didn't keep Ino from prodding further.

"…how far have you two gone?"

Sasuke refused to speak, and was bent on not uttering a single word. Wherever this conversation was going, he wasn't too fond of it. Ino didn't seem to mind Sasuke's rudeness though.

"She really loves you, you know..?" She said with a sigh.

Ino's elbows were sitting on her lap, and her hands cupped her face as she watched the distant moon. She blew a stray hair away from her face.

"You'd better try your hardest not to push her away. You know what people say. 'you can only stretch a rubber band so far.'"

_What is she talking about? I treat Sakura fine._

"You may be nicer than usual to her now but what about the future? I know for a fact that your brother Itachi is still alive. The whole village does, after hearing what happened to that idiot Naruto. And a little birdie happened to tell me that you're hell-bent on killing your brother."

Sasuke felt vulnerable. How is it that a former (from what he could tell) fangirl is able to look further into Sasuke's life than any former fangirl (other than Sakura)? Sasuke shrugged his shoulders.

"Are you going to leave her again? Sakura was never quite herself after you left you know? She seemed to be the same…but I've known her for years. It was easy for me to tell that she changed…"

A gust of wind blew by, carrying leaves with it.

"She wasn't crying as often as she did before. She began to stress the importance of 'concealing emotions as a shinobi'. And yet every time she saw a picture of you guys and team 7, she'd get all teary eyed and quiet."

Ino eyed Sasuke with spiteful eyes…but before long, they turned into pleading ones.

"You're not going to leave her again just to chase after your stupid goal are you? Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to see her like that?"

Sasuke closed his eyes and slowly clenched his hands into fists.

"Itachi took away the lives of everyone that mattered to me. Now, I find a few more people that I slightly care about. What makes you think that he wont hesitate to kill them too?"

"But did it ever occur to you that leaving her and setting off for revenge can and may be killing her inside as well? Revenge wont bring you happiness Sasuke, but love can and will."

Sasuke was at lost for words. He never really thought about things that way. Why hadn't Sakura told him any of this? _Oh right. This is Sakura I'm talking about…_But killing Itachi was important to him.

"I'm sorry, but killing Itachi is the reason that I'm alive today. I live for the day that I'll kill him. It's been a goal that I've been working towards all these years in my life…and I'm not about to throw all my hard work away just for one person."

All was silent…until Ino spoke quietly with a hint of sadness and disappointment in her tone.

"…Are you saying that revenge matters more to you than Sakura…?"

Sasuke remained silent. Ino, seeing that Sasuke wasn't going to answer immediately understood. She turned away and let out a soft sigh. It was then that Sakura decided to show up.

"Sakura, what are you doing here?"

Sakura stood there confused.

"I'm here to stand guard. You two better get some rest."

Sasuke glanced at Sakura, and a mental image of Itachi standing over his slaughtered clan came into his mind. Silently, Sasuke made his way into his tent. Did revenge matter to him more than Sakura? He thought he knew the answer before, but now he wasn't too sure. Ino, however remained where she stood.

"Sakura…you're early."

Sakura glanced at her watch. (yes she has one! XD)

"Only by a minute. Besides, you should get your rest. We'll be traveling non-stop tomorrow, and I'm sure that you're tired from today also."

With a smile, Sakrua playfully pushed Ino towards her tent.

"Go on, go on."

Ino smiled softly before crawling into her tent. _Typical Sakura. Always caring about other people and forgetting to worry about herself. _

Ino heard a rustle in the tent beside her, along with a female voice shouting "Wakey wakey!!!". She giggled silently to herself as she let the day's fatigue set in.

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**ComeComeParadise Corner:**

**Alrighty folks! I understand that some of you were skeptical about the potential sasuino after seeing that I set Sasuke to stay up with Ino. Well, no need to worry cuz I also happen to not like the fics that have sasuino for the sole purpose of provoking a jealous Sakura…but then again I do make exceptions. XD Sorry about the long updates. I'm sure that I've mentioned all this before, but I have school. And a bunch of extra-curriculars. And not enough spare time. XD Not to mention that America's Next Top Model is on!!! And Project Runway! WHEEEEE!!!! XD**

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Chouji sat by the fire eating his chips. As soon as he finished a bag of chips, he'd pull another bag out from his tiny pouch—much like Doraemon. Sakura wondered how he managed to cram so many bags of chips and food into such a small pouch. She let out a sigh. Whenever she thought of trying to strike up a conversation, Chouji's mouth would be too full of chips that it'd be hard for him to reply back. Besides, she didn't want to risk getting in between Chouji and his food. Who knows what would happen to her if she did that? Obviously she didn't, and she definitely didn't want to.

GGGGGGGGGGGGgrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr……….

Sakura's mind snapped back at attention. An enemy was approaching. She took out her kunai and got ready to attack. When she glanced over at Chouji, however, he looked perfectly calm.

"Chouji—"

Before she could continue her sentence she was cut off.

"Oops, sorry I must still be hungry."

Chouji patted his belly gingerly and began whispering to it much like the way a pregnant mother sometimes whispers to the baby lying in her womb.

"I'm sorry. I wont let you go empty ever again. Daddy loves you…"

Sakura gaped at the sight before her. She's seen many young mothers and their husbands talk like that to the belly several times in Konoha since she worked at the hospital…but the mere sight of a grown boy whispering to his own belly like that…she could honestly say and admit that she was officially scarred for life.

Chouji began digging through his pouch.

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr……

"Chouji, take care of that stomach of yours!"

Chouji looked at Sakura as if she'd just insulted his child. He cradled his barbeque chip bag in his chubby arms.

"Shhh! Not in front of the children!"

"Alright mom, I'm awake already, sheesh!"

Sakura and Chouji turned to face the nearest tent. Shikamary emerged from it looking very tired. After he finished rubbing his eyes, Shikamaru observed his surroundings.

"Oops."

Chouji began chuckling.

"What was that all about?"

Shikamary shrugged.

"My mom's as scary and troublesome as a beast. She's always growling at me and shouting and me in the morning because I can never wake up. I guess I mistook Chouji's stomach growling for my mom."

Sakura began giggling, and Shikamaru sighed.

"I guess that It's best that I get up now anyways…it's about time for me to take my shift anyways. Chouji, you can go ahead and go back to bed. I'll take over."

After stuffing one last handful of chips into his mouth, Chouji nodded and disappeared into his tent. Sakura let out a sigh.

"Sorry Sakura, but everyone will be working a double shift anyways. Tonight just happens to be your night, that's all. If you need to take any breaks while we're traveling, just let me know."

Sakura shook her head.

"Shikamaru…I'd rather not hold up everyone else if I'm too weak to travel. Besides, if everyone else has to do all this too, then it'd majorly slow us down if they all got to take breaks too, right?"

Shikamaru let out a sigh. He couldn't help but agree with her anyways. She was right.

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**ComeComeParadise Corner:**

**Well…there you have it, chapter 34! XD I'm sorry if it was a little short…and I'm sorry about my longer updates, but well, I already explained that. XD Thanks for all your reviews so far everyone! Reviews make the fanfiction world go round. XP And by all means DON'T STOP THEM!!! KEEP 'EM coming!!! XD**

**REVIEW! NO FLAMES! REVIEW! XD**

**Thanks!**


	36. secret scrolls: NO PEEKING!

**ComeComeParadise:** Again, I wanna thank all you reviewers! Lols, you guys know who you are!

And a note to some of my anonymous reviewers:

**Charl**: Oh my gawsh, I think I love you my Christian brother/sister! Your reviews were most definitely helpful, and I want to thank you for (trying) to send me the link to those sites. Haha, you know, you're right that the people sigh too much! I guess I do that because I'm trying to have more action going on during convos, and since I sigh a lot…I guess I made the characters do the same. But thanks for pointing that out! Thanks for all of your reviews—I seriously took them all to heart. I love you!!!

**Ino**: Ummm…I'd rather not email anyone. Don't take that personally, I don't email anyone else here too. I love you for reviewing though, and I couldn't help but smile when I read your reviews! It's just that I don't feel comfortable giving out my email address through emailing. Again, please don't take it personally, I still love you! XD

**Nicole**: XDDDD Thanks so much! I'm glad that you don't think Sasuke sounds OOC!

**Phionx's ASH:** XD I'm sure that you have a life, hon! XD And believe me, I do try to update. You're not asking too much, either. XD There's never no such thing as asking too much because well…the other person can always say no! Wait, that doesn't make sense…anyways, you never know unless you try, and I'm glad that you did! (whatever that means! XD)

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"_Sorry Sakura, but everyone will be working a double shift anyways. Tonight just happens to be your night, that's all. If you need to take any breaks while we're traveling, just let me know."_

_Sakura shook her head._

"_Shikamaru…I'd rather not hold up everyone else if I'm too weak to travel. Besides, if everyone else has to do all this too, then it'd majorly slow us down if they all got to take breaks too, right?"_

_Shikamaru let out a sigh. He couldn't help but agree with her anyways. She was right._

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"Foolish brother…did you really think that you stood a chance against me?"

There was Itachi, standing over the dead body of a familiar pink-haired kunoichi. The sky was blood-red, and the clouds were black as death.

Sasuke looked down at what was left of his body. He was lying down in a pool of his own blood and was barely able to move. _Is this really happening? Sakura!_ Itachi smirked.

"It hurts just to look at you." The older Uchiha snorted as he kicked Sakura's corpse disrespectfully.

"You were too weak to protect our mom and dad…and after all these years, you're still too weak to protect this pitiful girl."

The long-haired man bent over and examined the body that he just kicked.

"It's a shame; really…she's not too bad looking." Using his kunai, Itachi removed her head from her body. "I think I'll keep this as a souvenir. It'll look perfect next to your head, baby brother.

Sasuke struggled in an attempt to pick himself up, but it was no use; instantly, sharp shots of burning heat and pain shot up through what was left of his body. It hurt too much for him to scream.

"Don't bother trying. This'll all be over in no time." Using the same kunai that he had used earlier to behead Sakura's corpse, Itachi took precise aim at Sasuke's neck and flung the kunai at him.

THOK!!!

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Instantly, Sasuke shot up out of bed. He was trembling violently, and his entire face was soaked with cold sweat. After several minutes of sitting in his tent, his heartbeat became steady as he took in his surroundings. Sasuke felt himself and his clothing.

_Oh…it was just a dream…_

Sasuke pulled out his bottle of water, and used some of the water inside it to wash his face. Even if it was just a dream, it all seemed so real.The younger Uchiha took a deep breath and exhaled softly. Seeing that there was no way he was going back to sleep, Sasuke silently began to pack his sleeping bag and his belongings. _Might as well pack up while there's time…_

As he reached over to pick up his bag, the "fake" scroll dropped out of his pocket.

"_This is a B-ranked mission, and it isn't to be taken lightly. As we travel, there is always a chance that a powerful enemy will come and try to steal the scroll."_

'_I guess I'll have to carry this scroll in a better place'_ Sasuke thought, as he remembered Shikamaru's words.

"_Alright guy…and girl…we have a mission today. We are to help deliver a vital scroll to our allies at Sand village. This scroll contains information about the Akatsuki that some members of the ANBU were able to uncover from their recent mission to the remains of Sound Village."_

Sasuke looked down at the scroll, which was now in his hands. _Info on the Akatsuki…_ Sasuke clenched the decoy scroll tightly as he placed it somewhere safe on his body. _Could it be that this information can help me uncover more information on Itachi? _The raven-haired boy continued packing. When he was done he sat still in the middle of his tent. The earth below him was cold, but Sasuke didn't notice—he was too preoccupied in his thoughts. _Has the information been right here all along?_ Sasuke's heart began beating with anxiety, curiosity, and excitement. _Information about the Akatsuki…information about the Akatsuki…_The words echoed throughout his brain much like the way one's voice echoes throughout an empty hall. The more he thought about it, the more enticing the idea of sneaking a peak at the scroll appealed to him. It was just one peak, after all. Shikamaru shouldn't notice…even if he is a genius.

With that in mind, Sasuke got up and crawled out of his tent. He was greeted by Sakura and Shikamaru, who had been discussing the pros and cons of putting Chouji on a diet. The fire that Sasuke had created earlier was reduced to a tiny flame. They both turned to face Sasuke, and were slightly surprised to find him awake. Before they could say anything, Sasuke beat them to it.

"I woke up. I can't sleep anymore."

Shikamaru and Sakura gave an understanding nod. Someone like Sasuke not being able to sleep is understandable, considering all the possible things he could--and most likely had nightmares about. Sakura shot Sasuke a worried and concerned look before continuing her conversation with Shikamaru.

"Well…think of all the girls that would be interested in Chouji if he were skinnier?"

Shikamaru sighed.

"That would seriously impact his ability to use his baika no jutsu…having a skinny guy rolling himself around wont do any good now, would it?"

Sakura shook her head and wagged her finger at Shikamaru.

"But he's at serious risk for health and heart problems. It's unhealthy to be that size. "

Shikamaru scratched the back of his head and yawned.

"He's a ninja. Look at Asuma-sensei. He smokes eight packs a day, and he's one of the best ninja our village has to offer."

Before Sakura could continue, Shikamaru yawned loudly.

"Mendokuse…this is getting to be too troublesome. We should be waking up the others soon, let's start making breakfast now."

At that, the pineapple-headed tactician got up and began to stretch. Sasuke eyed Shikamaru carefully, and intensely. Feeling like he was being watched, Shikamaru looked towards Sasuke's direction.

"Oi, what is it? Do I have a bug on me, Sasuke?"

Sasuke nodded. "Hn. But it flew away."

Shikamaru eyed Sasuke suspiciously before slipping into his tent to find pre-packaged food. Sakura, who had seen the whole thing happen looked at Sasuke with concern written all over her face. _There weren't any bugs on Shikamaru…_

Sasuke however, remained oblivious to her concerned glance. He was deep in his thoughts. _Shikamaru has the real scroll…and the scroll has the information I need to kill Itachi…I need to find a way to get my hands on it just to take a peak...but how?_ All of a sudden, Sasuke was interrupted by a hand that placed itself softly on his shoulder. When Sasuke looked up at the owner of the hand, he was met by a pair of brilliant emerald eyes. _Were her eyes always this…big?_

"Sasuke-kun…are you alright? You haven't quite seemed to be yourself since you joined us earlier…"

Sasuke forced himself to look away. It was hard to lie to Sakura's big, green eyes…but looking away definitely helped make it easier.

"It's nothing…I'm fine."

"Oh…"

Sasuke placed his hand on Sakura's, which was still resting on his shoulder. He flinched however, when he actually held her hands. _Were her fingers always this bony? I thought that she became super strong…why are her hands so fragile?_

"Stop worrying about me Sakura."

Sakura was taken aback.

"B-but Sasuke-kun—"

"I said stop. Don't bother worrying about me. Just forget about it."

Sasuke squeezed her hand lightly before removing it from his shoulder. He got back up and started towards his tent. He still had to pack his tent, after all. _…How am I going to get my hands on that scroll?_ He paused at untying the string he held in his hands for a moment and paused to think._ I have to keep my eyes on Shikamaru and wait for the perfect moment to take that scroll. This scroll may contain information that can help me finally kill that brother of mine._

Part of Sasuke knew that peeking at vital scrolls like the one they were guarding was wrong—after all, he spent several days in the Forest of Death keeping that in mind. The other part of him, however, didn't mind. That part of Sasuke didn't care about the "rules". Besides, if the information in the scroll will help him kill his brother, then he'd be doing Konoha a favor by killing one of its missing nins and wanted murderers. Breaking a simple rule would be well worth that. If he succeeded, he'd be happy, and everyone in Konoha would be happy. And if he didn't succeed…Sasuke refused to let himself think of the other half of that.

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**ComeComeParadise Corner:**

**Whoah! This is probably the fastest that I've ever updated this year! For those of you that asked me to update ASAP, I hope you enjoy reading this chapter! And wow…I'm surprised at Sasuke. (even though I wrote all this that happened) I wasn't really expecting that to happen. I think I made him seem a little psychotic in a way…I guess it has to do with what mood I'm in…but I don't feel the least bit angsty today (or psychotic), so who knows? I want to thank all my reviewers (again) And don't worry, this story is FAR from over! It's kinda weird, I mean, I'm already 36 chapters into the story…and I'm not even close to ending it yet…I wonder how long this story will end up being? Well, every so often I get some plot bunnies here and there, so be on the lookout for short fics in the meantime. XP**

**Now read on my lovely readers-who-will-review-at-the-end-of-this-chapter, read on! XD**

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Sakura watched Sasuke pack up his tent. (She had already packed her tent and belongings long ago) However, despite what Sasuke told her, she still couldn't help but feel worried about him. Something wasn't quite right…and it was tearing her to pieces trying to figure out what it was.

_Sasuke…kun…_

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Before long, everyone was awake and eating their breakfast, which consisted of an energy bar, fruit, bread, and water. Ino was complaining about the high amounts of calories, fat, and carbohydrates found in energy bars, but after the coaxing of Sakura (You'll burn it all off while we're traveling!), Shikamaru (quit being so troublesome and eat—you need to put on more meat anyways), and Chouji (I eat energy bars and a lot more food than this all the time, and look at me! I came out fine!), she relented and began eating. After everyone was done eating their breakfast, Shikamaru, got up and stretched before giving his orders.

"Alright everyone, if everything goes as planned, and we don't run into any enemies on our way today, we should reach past the halfway-point of this trip. We'll stop for a break at noon, but only if we really need it."

Shikamaru turned around and bent over and began rummaging through his backpack.

"The map should be here somewhere...mendokuse…"

As he did this, Sasuke examined Shikamaru's body from head to toe. _Where can he be hiding the scroll…?_

Chouji noticed Sasuke eyeing Shikamaru, who happened to be in the worst possible position to be eyed at: bent over with his rear facing the rest of the group.

"Whoah, Sasuke…" He muttered. Ino and Sakura, with their expert kunoichi hearing ability however, (actually, it's the woman's natural ability to hear things that guys don't want them to hear) heard what Chouji said. Before long, there were two large lumps on his head (and no, I'm not talking about his hair), courtesy of Ino and Sakura.

Shikamaru, who had been busy rummaging through his bag and cursing everything he could think of for giving him such troublesome luck, had been oblivious to what had been going on behind his back. When he turned around, and saw everyone, he made a gesture as if he was going to ask what just happened, but instead, shoot his head and went back to saying what he was originally going to say.

"Don't want to know…" he muttered, "Okay, there's the map."

On que, the piece of paper that he held in his hands was unrolled, revealing a map of the five countries.

"We are here." He pointed at the red blob. "By then end of the day, we should reach here."

Shikamaru's finger moved to the outer edge of the red blob.

"Any questions?" Silence…

"Are you ready kids?"

"Aye, aye captain!" Chouji shouted.

Before long, there were two more lumps on Chouji's head added to his collection. (from Sakura and Ino) Shikamaru shook his head pitifully.

"Well then, I guess we're off."

At that, the five ninjas took off. WHOOSH!!!

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The fivesome continued traveling in the smoldering heat for what seemed like weeks…months…years…DECADES. Sakura wasn't sure if the water on her face was from her sweating, or from her crying from the unbearable heat. Ino considered stripping all her clothing before remembering that there were men in her company. (From what she could tell anyway) Shikamaru kept muttering the words "stupid" and "troublesome" under his breath.

Chouji was the worst. All the extra layers of skin that he carried on himself (more commonly referred to as "fat") were seriously getting to him. He felt like he was wearing a bunch of winter coats in the middle of the desert. _I think I can, I think I can…ooh, I think I just burned a calorie back there! I think I can, I think I can…_ If only he could remove all his excess calories and burn them in this desert heat…and maybe make a meal out of them…_SNAP OUT OF IT! Now's not the time to be thinking of food! I think I can, I think I can, I think I can of chili—wait, WHAT!?_

Chouji sighed. It was useless. Sasuke was the only one of them that managed to maintain a semi-cool composure. The heat made it hard for him to think of the scroll, and instead, it helped him better imagine Itachi burning in hell. A smirk found its way on the prodigy's handsome face. Even though it made him more aware of the heat than he wanted to be, it was more interesting than the rest of his teammates—at the moment all of them were too hot to talk, him included.

"Try not to drink all of your water now!" Shikamaru shouted (the best he could anyways). "The heat will only get worse as we get closer to the Sand Village. We're already in the Wind Country, so you guys'll only have to endure about one more day of hell…that is, assuming that we don't encounter any enemies. Water will be a lot harder to find, so try to conserve as much as you can." Shikamaru paused to take a gulp of water from his water bottle. "It should be A LOT cooler by nightfall. Unbearably hot in the morning, and freezing at night. This is the way the climate works in the deserts around here."

Everyone groaned, and Sasuke found himself groaning with everyone else too. _I must not be thinking too clearly…it HAS to be the heat._ Sasuke glanced at Shikamaru. _He drops his guard every time he yawns and stretches._ As Sasuke thought this, Shikamaru yawned and stretched. _That means that I'll have several chances if I act fast enough…and If I don't react fast enough, I can always try while he's asleep…_

"_Are you saying that revenge matters more to you than Sakura…?"_

Ino's conversation with him last night was seriously bugging him, and Sasuke found himself replaying her words over and over again in his mind more than he wanted to. _Did_ revenge matter to him more? Honestly speaking, Sasuke found that he _still_ had no idea.

"_Revenge wont bring you happiness, Sasuke, but love can and will."_

Sasuke stopped himself from snorting. Can it really? He'd lost track of the amount of times and people that have told him that revenge wouldn't make him happy…and among those people, Sakura was one of them. He had been working hard towards this goal of his, and he had been dreaming of the day that he'd be able to finally defeat and kill his brother. How is it possible for one to _not_ be happy once they achieve a goal that they've devoted their entire _life_ to?

A gust of hot air blew by, and Sasuke couldn't help but sigh. There was so much going on in his mind right now that he couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed. Suddenly, a movement alerted Sasuke and brought him back to reality. Shikamaru had removed the scroll from his left pocket and moved it to the third pouch from the left on his Chuunin vest.

_Wait…what if this is just a trick for enemies…?_

After a while, Sasuke confirmed that it couldn't have been a trick. When he saw the scroll, he sensed that it was the real one, and not a fake decoy like the one he was carrying. That _had_ to be the real scroll…but then, why did Shikamaru make it so obvious when he moved the scroll…? He had to have been trying to fool someone.

Suddenly, an unusually strong and cool gust of wind blew by. While the Chuunins found relief from the heat with this gust, Sasuke and Shikamaru grew suspicious. However, while he couldn't sense any unfamiliar chakra…and even after activating his sharingan and surveying the entire area and confirming that there were no people following them, the feelings of suspicion continued to linger in Sasuke. Shikamaru, however, despite being slightly suspicious at the sudden cool breeze remained calm. _If there is an enemy following us, whoever he is, he'll show himself soon enough._

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**ComeComeParadise Corner:**

Okay, I'm sorry if this chapter was short…and it was…uh, sorry? XD Please don't let that keep you from reviewing my story.

Remember to **REVIEW! NO FLAMES ALLOWED!!! WHEEEEEE!!!!! **


	37. Chapter 37

**ComeComeParadise: After talking to a friend of mine online (Crystal Renee), I just realized that the book ComeComeParadise sounds like 'Cum Cum' Paradise…wowzers…is it getting hawt in here or what? XD Onwards!**

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_A gust of hot air blew by, and Sasuke couldn't help but sigh. There was so much going on in his mind right now that he couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed. Suddenly, a movement alerted Sasuke and brought him back to reality. Shikamaru had removed the scroll from his left pocket and moved it to the third pouch from the left on his Chuunin vest. _

_Wait…what if this is just a trick for enemies…?_

_After a while, Sasuke confirmed that it couldn't have been a trick. When he saw the scroll, he sensed that it was the real one, and not a fake decoy like the one he was carrying. That had to be the real scroll…but then, why did Shikamaru make it so obvious when he moved the scroll…? He had to have been trying to fool someone._

_Suddenly, an unusually strong and cool gust of wind blew by. While the Chuunins found relief from the heat with this gust, Sasuke and Shikamaru grew suspicious. However, while he couldn't sense any unfamiliar chakra…and even after activating his sharingan and surveying the entire area and confirming that there were no people following them, the feelings of suspicion continued to linger in Sasuke. Shikamaru, however, despite being slightly suspicious at the sudden cool breeze remained calm. If there is an enemy following us, whoever he is, he'll show himself soon enough._

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Soon, the sun began to set, and the sky around them became a redish hue. Shikamaru, satisfied at the progress they made for the day clapped his hands together to make sure that he had the attention of everyone.

"Alright everyone, listen up. This looks like a great place to set up camp. I want Sakura and Ino to look for some dry shrubs so that we can build a fire. Chouji, you go with them and see if you can find any water for us. Sasuke, you stay here with me. I'll pitch the tents, and I want you to dig a hole for the fire. Are there any questions?"

Everyone was silent.

"Good. Let's try to be ready before sunset."

Everyone nodded and took off to do his or her assigned job.

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As Sasuke began to silently dig his hole, he was inwardly smirking. Things couldn't have worked out any better for him. Sakura, Ino, and Chouji were gone, and it was just him and Shikamaru. Considering that there wasn't much vegetation, Sasuke estimated that it'd be a while before Sakura OR Ino would come back with enough dry shrubs to start a suitable fire. And knowing Chouji, he wouldn't want to return back on his own. The two of them would be alone with nothing to do for quite a while.

Sasuke glanced over his shoulder and saw that Shikamaru was almost done with the tents. Given that Shikamaru was well….Shikamaru, Sasuke knew that before long, the lazy Nara would be napping away. Sasuke looked down at the hole that he had dug. It was definitely a deep enough hole. The black haired avenger sat down and let his shoulders relax. As he did this, the Nara had finished securing the final tent, and soon, the two men were lounging around with nothing to do.

"Mendokuse…it's been an hour, and none of them are back yet. I wonder if they are having a hard time locating enough shrubs…in this weather and terrain, it's near impossible for anything to grow, but I'd still think that we can find _dry_ plants…"

Shikamaru yawned, and instantly, Sasuke's eyes focused on the pouch on Shikamaru's Chuunin vest. _This is it! He let his guard down!_

However, as he was thinking this, his body remained where it was, stubbornly refusing to move. _What the…_

Sasuke was in shock. He was a ninja, and something as simple as snatching something from someone while their guard was _down_ was a relatively simple task. Why was his body refusing to move? His mind was screaming for him to steal the scroll, but his body stayed immobile. Before long, the great window of opportunity shut itself close and Sasuke found himself more frustrated and confused than ever.

Slowly, the Uchiha began to calm himself down. _It's okay…there will be several more opportunities, I'm sure. Just be patient Uchiha…wait till the right moment, and strike when the next opportunity presents itself…_

Sasuke felt himself relax as he mentally calmed himself down. The sun still hadn't completely set, Shikamaru was getting drowsier by the minute, and the rest of his teammates hadn't returned yet. The first window of opportunity may have closed before he had a chance to enter it, but there were several more windows that hadn't been shut yet.

"Sasuke…did you get my question?"

Sasuke's head snapped up. He glanced at the owner of the voice—it was Shikamaru. Shikamaru took one look at Sasuke and reiterated his question. All it took was a look, and the genius instantly knew that the avenger hadn't been paying attention.

"You felt that breeze earlier, right?"

Sasuke nodded.

"Did you happen to feel somewhat…uneasy when you felt that?"

"Hn."

Shikamaru understood that as a "yes" and nodded his head in approval.

"Good. So I see I'm not the only one that noticed."

Shikamaru paused for a moment, and then continued.

"You are an Uchiha after all…" he mumbled.

The air around them grew still, and the two of them paused in silence. Surprisingly, it was the Uchiha that broke the silence.

"You don't suppose that we're being followed, do you?"

The Nara shrugged as he stretched his arms in the air.

"I'm gonna take a little nap. Wake me when the others get back, or if anything troublesome happens."

Sasuke nodded, and watched the Nara slowly doze off. When he was certain that the other man was fast asleep, Sasuke checked his surroundings, and confirmed that no one else was around. He glanced first at the Nara, and then at his pouch. Even though Shikamaru was fast asleep, Sasuke knew that he still had to be careful when taking the scroll. Shikamaru was a ninja after all, and Sasuke knew that you'd have to be a fool to think that you could steal something from a sleeping ninja any which way you wanted to.

_So…he thinks that there may be an enemy nearby…that must've been why he moved the scroll to a harder to reach place…but to make it that obvious…? _

Sasuke glanced at the sun…which was slowly disappearing under the horizon.

_At least now I know that that action was for the enemy and not me. He has no idea about my objectives…that must be why he's asking me to stand guard—in case the enemy decides to attack us now. _

The Uchiha prodigy slowly got up from his spot, and cautiously made his way over to Shikamaru. He checked once again to make sure that none of his teammates were there, and slowly reached his arm towards the pouch. The potential enemy was the least of his concerns at the moment. All he cared about was getting his hands on the scroll.

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Sakura, Ino and Chouji were walking around the vast, dry area.

"Man…I'm starving" Chouji complained.

The two kunoichi sighed haplessly at the man. Ino and Sakura had already collected enough shrubs to start a fire, but Chouji couldn't seem to find any water. Not wanting to leave the big man all by his lonesome, Ino and Sakura had decided to accompany him till he DID find some water. However, seconds turned into minutes, and minutes turned into hours. Before long, the three of them had grown bored, and they stuck to the job with a tired doggedness. The sun would be setting soon, and yet they still hadn't found any water.

Sakura was the worst out of the three of them. Of all the people on the team, she was the only one that worked a double shift the previous night. She lacked the most sleep, and Ino understood this.

"Listen, Sakura…why don't you go back to camp? I'm sure that Sasuke-kun and Shikamaru are beyond bored waiting for us. I'll stay with Chouji and keep him company."

Sakura opened her mouth to protest, but was cut off by Chouji.

"Man, why does she get to go back? I'm the one that's starving!"

Ino groaned irritably as she smacked Chouji upside the head.

"Did you work a double shift last night?"

"Erm…"

"Didn't think so."

Sakura smiled sweetly at Ino.

"It's okay Ino, I'm fine. I can handle it. Besides, I'd hate to abandon you guys."

Ino put a mouth firmly over Chouji's mouth before he had a chance to speak.

"Look Sakura, we've been at this for a while, and we're still nowhere close to finding water. I have no idea how much longer we'll be out here searching. The sun's about to set, and you need to rest the most out of all of us—we don't need anyone holding us up tomorrow because they're exhausted. In addition, we might need you to tell Shikamaru that we'll be out here longer looking for water. From the looks of things, we'll need a lot more time than till sunset. Chouji and I will be fine, so dont worry about us and worry about yourself for a change, 'kay?"

Sakura nodded exhaustedly and smiled. Ino was right, after all.

"Oh, and while you're at it, take my shrubs too."

Sakura sighed.

"Alright then you pig. Just don't eat Chouji while you're out here okay?"

Ino rolled her eyes and nodded.

"Sure, I'll try not to. No go! Shoo!"

Sakura smiled and waved at her friend before teleporting away. Ino watched Sakura disappear. All was silent.

"C-Cant….Breath…."

Ino looked to her right and saw a suffocating Chouji by her side. She had forgotten about him, and her hand was still placed firmly over his mouth and nose. Silently, she wondered how he managed to say all that even while he was being gagged by her own hand.

"Whoops…my bad."

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Sakura reappeared a short distance away from camp. She didn't want to appear so suddenly in the middle of camp. Sasuke and Shikamaru may be talking about something private, and she definitely didn't want to suddenly poof in into the middle of their conversation if that were to happen. She glanced at the bag of shrubs she held in her left hand and walked casually towards the campsite.

As she drew closer to the camp site, she noticed a figure hunched over another.

_What the…?_

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**ComeComeParadise Corner: Hey all! Hope you guys had a happy Thanksgiving! Gobble Gobble! WHOOT! XD Anywho, yah. I know that Sasuke was weird in the last chapter…I'd be lying if I said that I didn't. And many of you were wondering who the enemy is…lols, well, read on, and you'll find out! XD Just don't forget to review while you're at it. Haha! So yah. Happy reading, and happy Thanksgiving! Hopefully me updating will be one of the things you guys will be thankful for! XD J/k. I love you all! Happy Turkey day! Read On my youthful reviewers! Read on!**

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Sasuke felt his heartbeat quicken as his hand slowly drew closer and closer to the scroll. Why was he moving so slowly? Well, it was because Shikamaru was asleep, and it was because Shikamaru is aware that there is a potential enemy nearby, and it was because Shikamaru probably didn't let his guard down even while he's asleep. If that even made sense.

Finally, before long, Sasuke's fingers were close enough to touch the pouch that contained the scroll.

"Sasuke-kun…what are you doing?"

Instantly, Sasuke zipped Shikamaru's vest all the way up.

"He fell asleep. I'm just trying to prevent him from catching a cold."

"Oh."

Sasuke glanced at the person that caught him off-guard. How could he have NOT sensed her approaching?

Sakura smiled and brought up the bag she carried. It was full of dry shrubs.

"Special delivery for Uchiha Sasuke! Dry shrubs, and lots of' em! Is this what you ordered, sir?"

Sasuke silently took the bag from her hands and placed some shrubs in the hole. He left the rest in the bag in case they'd need more later.

"That'll be one smile. And sorry, we don't take smirks."

The Uchiha formed the appropriate hand signs, and got a fire going using his jutsu. He was so close…_so….close…_to getting his hands on the scroll.

"Sasuke-kun, aren't you glad that we finally brought you some shrubs? You probably would've been bored stiff if I hadn't showed up."

_No…I'd have a vital scroll in my hands if you didn't show up._

"Where are Ino and Chouji?"

Sakura sat down beside Sasuke, and groaned as her aching muscles found relief.

"They're still looking for water. Ino wanted me to tell Shikamaru that she and Chouji might be out longer. They can't find any water at all."

Sakura glanced at Shikamaru.

"I guess it doesn't matter anymore since Mister Leader is fast asleep anyways. At least we get to spend some time together, ne?"

Sasuke silently continued staring at the fire that he had created.

"Sasuke-kun…are you okay? You've been quiet…er….than you usually are."

Sakura remembered what she had seen before she arrived at the campsite.

"Did I come at a bad time Sasuke-kun?"

The Uchiha slowly nodded.

"Sorry…"

Sasuke glanced over at the pink-haired beauty beside him. Sakura's eyes were downcast, and she was hugging her knees.

"_Are you saying that revenge matters more to you than Sakura…?"_

The black-haired avenger shook that thought from his head.

"Why are you sorry, Sakura?"

Sakura looked up at Sasuke with wide eyes.

"Well, it's just that I—"

"There's nothing to be sorry about."

Sakura smiled softly.

"I hope Chouji and Ino get back soon."

"What a pain. Those two aren't back yet?"

Both Sakura and Sasuke turned around to face the now awake Nara.

"Hello to you too. Are my teammates working or are they playing? They should be back by now. The sun is pretty much gone."

He was right. The entire area was lit by the last glimmer of sunlight that remained and the fire that Sasuke had started. _At least the fire's going._

Sakura spoke up in defense of her friend and Chouji.

"Actually, they sent me here to let you know that they're still looking for water. It's a desert, after all. You can't expect them to come back right away with buckets of water."

Shikamaru scratched the back of his head.

"I know that. But when I sent Jack and Jill to fetch a pail of water, I wasn't expecting them to take this long. 'Jack' had better not be injured. We don't have time to send him back to Konoha."

"Excuse me, but for your information, Jack did not break his crown…and I think you're forgetting that I'm a certified medic."

A strong gust of wind blew by—similar to the one before. Instantly Sasuke and Shikamaru were on guard. Sakura, however stood confused.

"Is something wrong?"

"SHHH!"

Sasuke's sharingan was activated, and Shikamaru was crouching—hands in meditating mode, and eyes sifting about.

"Sakura, stay on guard" Sasuke hissed.

"We're not alone" Shikamaru added.

Sakura's eyes scanned the area as she readied a kunai. An enemy? Here? The entire area was covered sparsely with vegetation, but there wasn't enough to hide in. The area was flat, so it wasn't possible for an enemy to be hiding nearby was it? Her green, cat-like eyes were already adjusted to the dark. Suddenly, her eyes caught several flashes of light in the distance, and in an instant, she, Shikamaru, and Sasuke found themselves dodging a slew of kunai.

A familiar chuckle grew louder as the owner of the voice—and the man that owned the kunai that the trio was just attacked with, emerged from the shadows. Slowly, the man brought his left hand up to his face and pushed his glasses up. He was twirling a kunai easily with his right hand. Within the blink of an eye, the kunai was sitting by the feet of the three of them.

"Hello. Fancy meeting you here everyone." The man smirked. "Did'ya miss me?"

Sasuke growled. "Kabuto…"

"Sasuke, hold on."

Shikamaru stood up, his eyes never leaving the silver-haired medic. "You're a fool --showing up in front of us now. The sun has almost finished setting, and the shadows are a lot longer. You chose the wrong time to present yourself."

Kabuto smiled and shrugged nonchalantly.

"Whoever said that I chose to reveal myself now? Sasuke-kun and you have already discovered my presence before I had a chance to sneak up on you. Not that that matters…I think you'd be more of a challenge in an environment that works to your advantage any how."

Sakura took a step forward, remaining as calm as she possibly could.

"What do you want?" _Where are Ino and Chouji…?_

…as _calm_ as she possibly could…

Kabuto smirked.

"I think that that's rather obvious…hand over the scroll now, and I'll spare you your lives."

As he said this, he caught the kunai that was aimed at him.

"Do try to control yourself, Sasuke-kun. All I want is your scroll."

Sasuke smirked.

"And all I want is to see you dead. Good luck getting our scroll, cuz you cant have it."

Angered, Kabuto reached for his shuriken holster…but found that he was unable to move. Taken aback, he looked up to see a smirking Shikamaru.

"Kage Mane no jutsu…you look like a smart fellow…though that may just be your glasses talking. I'm sure you've heard of it. Sakura, he's all yours."

Sakura smiled as she cracked her knuckles and slipped her gloves on.

"One punch from Tsunade-sama is enough to kill you, Orochimaru, and pretty much anybody…"

Sakura slowly walked over to Kabuto's still form.

"I, Tsunade-sama's apprentice, _inherited_ that same strength, after training my butt off for years."

As she said this, Sakura glanced over and Sasuke.

"…So…does that mean that one punch from _me_ is enough to kill _you_…?"

Instantly, Sakura was charging at Kabuto head on, with a chakra-loaded fist. Kabuto, being as clueless as men come, was never pursued by a woman in such a matter before. In fact, he gathered that all men have dreamt of having a beautiful woman running after them passionately. However, he'd be a lot more thrilled and probably on cloud nine if it weren't for the fact that the beautiful woman _kunoichi_ running strait at him had a chakra filled fist that would, without a doubt, kill him if it touched him.

"Sayonara, four eyes!"

Sakura leapt up into the air and brought her fist down hard. Half a second before she punched him, Shikamaru released the shadow-bind, and Sakura's fist came tumbling down, causing the earth to shake violently beneath them. The ground by Sakura became a crater, and sand was flying everywhere. A bloody Kabuto lay beneath Sakura's fist, and all his body became unrecognizably distorted from the force of the punch. All was silent as the dust cleared, and everyone remained silent. There was Kabuto's dead body, plain for all to see and yet…something wasn't quite right. Suddenly, the "dead" body smiled, and a chuckle echoed throughout the area.

"I applaud you guys. That was a clever strategy…clever indeed. But it'll take a lot more than that to defeat me. You cant get rid of me that easily."

The mangled body in front of Sakura disappeared with a poof, and in that same instant, Sasuke, with his sharingan saw something that Sakura and Shikamaru didn't notice.

"Sakura, MOVE!"

"Hehe…too late!"

Suddenly, Kabuto shot out from the smoke created from his old shadow clone. Within milliseconds, he had his kunai to Sakura's throat and his arms securing Sakura's behind her.

"Now…hand over the scroll, and I'll let her go."

_Darn it…_

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**ComeComeParadise:**

**WHOOO! It's a longer-than-usual chapter! Anyways, where are Ino and Chouji? Will Sasuke and Shikamaru save Sakura? More importantly, have you guys reviewed yet? XD Anyways, review, guys! I hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving holiday.**

**REVIEW! NO FLAMES!**


	38. To kill a mockingTURD

**ComeComeParadise: Hello everyone! Hopefully the wait wasn't TOO long! XD Thanks to all my loyal reviewers and the fact that I'm sick at home, I finally have time to update!!! WHOOOO!!!! (cough hack wheeze)**

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"I applaud you guys. That was a clever strategy…clever indeed. But it'll take a lot more than that to defeat me. You cant get rid of me that easily."

The mangled body in front of Sakura disappeared with a poof, and in that same instant, Sasuke, with his sharingan saw something that Sakura and Shikamaru didn't notice.

"Sakura, MOVE!"

"Hehe…too late!"

Suddenly, Kabuto shot out from the smoke created from his old shadow clone. Within milliseconds, he had his kunai to Sakura's throat and his arms securing Sakura's behind her.

"Now…hand over the scroll, and I'll let her go."

_Darn it…_

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The air was still, while tensions began to rise. The men were calm…the kunoichi was slightly panicked. Shikamaru began formulating a plan, while Sasuke remained fiercely on guard. There was no way that they could attack—the enemy was holding their teammate as a hostage.

"You wouldn't kill her.." Shikamaru stated, "Especially since she's the carrier of the scroll."

Kabuto's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"You and I both know that that's a lie," Kabuto hissed, "I've been observing each and every one of you from day one. This kunoichi has no scroll with her."

Shikamaru's eyes sifted slowly. _Any minute now…_He was only trying to buy time for his teammates to arrive. The sun was setting, and he knew that Chouji wouldn't want to stay out in the desert after sunset—even IF he and Ino didn't find any water.

"Perhaps…but that doesn't mean that we have the scroll with us either…you never know…we may all be carrying bogus scrolls with us instead of the original."

"Don't mess with me you fool. You're bluffing, and I know it."

The Nara shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

"Sure, fine…say what you must. No matter how many times a cloud tries to convince itself that it's a bird, it still remains the same…the kunoichi you're holding carries the scroll within her mind. Before we left, she was asked to fully memorize the contents of the scroll in case someone like yourself were to attempt to steal the scroll."

Sakura felt Kabuto's hold of her loosen slightly.

"Why only her? Couldn't you have had that man beside you memorize it? He's the one with the Sharingan."

"The troublesome woman didn't trust him." _Come one…any minute now…_

Kabuto smirked. He knew where Shikamaru was going with this and it wasn't going to work. He pressed the kunai firmly against Sakura's pale skin.

"Was it Shikamaru? Sorry, but as convincing as that story sounds, I don't believe it. I hardly found holes in your bluff…but there were several flaws that I just cant help but point out. First of all, allies or not, Sand village wouldn't trust recited information. Mistakes are unavoidable when it comes to recitation, and with a scroll as important as this, Konoha wouldn't risk having information forgotten. Finally, why would you be telling the enemy your entire plan to save the life of a teammate? Sacrifices are a vital part of missions like yours…besides, it wouldn't be a bluff if you told the enemy everything that was actually going on…although I must applaud your effort. It's a shame that I'm going to have to kill you."

Kabuto smirked as he pressed the kunai firmer against Sakura's neck. The cold metal punctured slightly into Sakura's skin, allowing her warm drops of red blood to roll freely down her porcelain skin.

Sasuke stepped forward. He was tired of watching without having anything to do. And seeing that Sakura was dangerously close to being killed by Kabuto…he _had_ to do something. _I feel so useless…_

Shikamaru remained calm. He sighed defeatedly and brought his arms up as if he were surrendering.

"Mendokuse…alright, you got me. Here…" the Nara reached into his vest and drew out the scroll. "Take it. It's all yours."

"Wait."

Kabuto and Shikamaru turned to face Sasuke.

"Forget about giving Kabuto the 'decoy'…he'll see right through it. I'll give the jerk the actual scroll."

Sasuke got out the decoy scroll and tossed it to Kabuto. The scroll landed a few meters away from the silver-haired medic. After removing his kunai away from Sakura's neck, Kabuto tightened his hold on her arms with his other hand. He slowly made his way towards the scroll that Sasuke threw at him, and within seconds, Sakura was grimacing in pain.

"What do you think you're trying to pull Uchiha?"

Sasuke remained silent. Shikamaru looked panicked for a moment…then smirked.

"What do you find so amusing? Don't you understand the gravity of the situation?"

Sasuke's eyes sifted around their surroundings…and found out why Shikamaru became so relaxed. In no time, Sasuke was smirking too.

"You two—Hey there everyone! Sorry we're late!!!"

At that, 'Kabuto' let go of Sakura and gave her a big hug. Sakura looked like she was about to gag.

"Sakura, I'm so glad that you're okay!!!"

"You sick jerk! Let go of me!"

'Kabuto' paused…and then started laughing uncontrollably.

"Geez, forehead girl…it's me, Ino. Shintenshin no jutsu…I'm sure you've heard of it before."

Sakura paused as she rubbed her sore arms…

"You could've warned me at least."

"Everyone, we shouldn't be letting our guard down yet!"

"Wait for me, Ino!!!"

Everyone turned to face an exhausted Chouji. He was running as fast as his body would allow him, and he looked like he was on the verge of passing out. Strapped on his back were a couple of water bottles, and he was hauling Ino's limp body with him.

"HEY! Watch what you're doing to my body!!!" Ino screamed.

Shikamaru sighed as he continued speaking.

"Ino, we haven't beaten this guy yet."

Ino examined the body she was in.

"Crikey! I'm a man!!!" (I miss Steve…)

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"No, you're a woman inside a man."

Everyone paused awkwardly, and Chouji and Ino's cheeks began to turn red. Sakura was busy healing herself, and Shikamaru…was confused.

"Ino, walk over by the fire for me, and make sure your back is facing it."

Ino obediently followed her orders. As soon as Kabuto's body was standing by the fire, Shikamaru got ready.

"Kagemane no jutsu"

Instantly, Shikamaru's shadow was attached to Kabuto's.

"Here Ino, go ahead and release your jutsu. I'll take care of things from here. I want everyone to surround Kabuto's body once Ino is back in hers."

As soon as Ino was back in her body, Kabuto started to regain consciousness. As soon as his vision cleared, Kabuto found himself face to face with Shikamaru, and surrounded by the other ninja.

"Alright four-eyes. Answer our questions, and you'll be fine. Got it?"

Kabuto growled at how their roles were reversed.

"Why do you want the scroll?"

Kabuto remained silent. Shikamaru, seeing that he wasn't getting a response, bent back slightly. Before long, Kabuto felt the heat of the fire beside his back.

"It…it contains information that will benefit my purposes."

Shikamaru smirked.

"Good…does that mean that you're working with someone?"

Kabuto scoffed.

"I work alone."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"The ANBU found the information in the scrolls while they were looking for you. Do you know anything that we don't know?"

Sakura added shrubs to the fire, and before long, the fire was burning brighter and hotter than it was previously. The flames were burning into Kabuto's back.

"The scroll contained some information about me still being alive."

"Liar." Sasuke stated simply.

"No, your teachers at Konoha…they are the liars. A member of the ANBU sensed my chakra, so I killed him. Of course the other members heard the fool gasp when he fell, so I didn't have time to dispose his corpse."

Shikamaru closed his eyes as he listened.

"So you're saying that they know you're alive because you did a sloppy job killing someone?"

Kabuto gulped slightly, and Sakura spoke up.

"I don't believe that. Why would you want people to think you were dead…and why wouldn't our mentors tell us that you're still alive?"

The male medic rolled his eyes slightly.

"If people think you're dead, they stop worrying about you, which makes it a lot easier to attack them…and maybe your mentors wanted you to focus on the task of delivering the scroll and not worry about searching for me…I honestly don't know, nor do I really care."

Shikamaru felt the shadow bind weakening. He stood up properly so Kabuto's body was no longer hovering over the fire.

"Ino possess him for a minute will you?"

Ino shrugged and did as she was told. Before long, she was in his body, and Shikamaru released the shadow bind. While this happened, Shikamaru went over the information in his head.

_The information makes sense…but I can't trust it. Mendokuse…why cant he just tell us everything and go die? It'd make everything a whole lot easier…This man is a wanted criminal, so I guess we can just kill him and be done with it. As troublesome as it may be it's a lot better than having to worry about him the rest of the way and having to deal with him again later…but he may know something that none of us do. _

Shikamaru glanced around, and saw that all his teammates were eagerly waiting for his say on the situation.

_..but even if he does know something, how can we be sure that he'll be willing to tell us? Why should I if I were in the same situation? Besides, there's also the possibility of all the information being fake. There's no sense in dragging this out. We've only lost time... We were only asked to deliver the scroll—not find information. Besides, if we were to kill an S-classed criminal…that alone is a bonus, even if it is extra work. After doing some extra troublesome work, we'll have one less troublesome thing to deal with._

Shikamaru inhaled deeply before turning back to his teammates.

"Alright. We'll be doing a little more troublesome work since it'll give us one less troublesome thing to worry about."

Soon, Shikamaru's shadow was linked to Kabuto's, and Ino was back in her body.

"You're gone."

Kabuto smiled.

"I don't think so."

In an instant, Kabuto poofed away. Sasuke was shocked, and Shikamaru was upset.

"Mendokuse…again..? Sasuke, weren't you supposed to—"

"It was a kagebunshin. He managed to distribute his chakra evenly and cloak his original body's chakra…even my sharingan couldn't sense that."

There was no way Sasuke was going to admit that he was careless.

Everyone remained still and on guard. Suddenly, Sasuke flung his kunai in between Chouji and Shikamaru, and a fast moving body emerged from the depths of the earth with uncanny speed. It caught the kunai, and in the same instant, Chouji's cheek was grazed by it.

Sasuke used his sharingan to focus on the moving body, and before long, he was aiming at it.

"Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu!"

Several balls of fire came shooting from Sasuke's mouth, and towards the moving body, which everyone had confirmed, was Kabuto. Shuriken from within the flames came spiraling in the opposite direction (towards Kabuto), once the flames were dodged. Sasuke sensed Kabuto's body movement slowing down, and he soon predicted where Kabuto was going to move next. The Uchiha prodigy aimed at that spot and performed his next jutsu.

"Katon: Haisekishō no jutsu!"

Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji's eyes widened in horror—that was their sensei, Asuma's jutsu. When did the younger Uchiha learn that? (Asuma's still alive in my fic) Everyone watched as the ash lingered in the air. They had seen Kabuto's body enter the cloud of ash, but they weren't about to start rejoicing. Before long, Kabuto emerged from the cloud—without a scratch.

"…In'yu Shōmetsu…They don't call me a medic for nothing."

At that, a kagebunshin of Chouji and Ino popped up from underground, restraining the shocked Kabuto. Desperate to get the shadow clones off of him, Kabuto began to wiggle free of their grip. Sakura poofed behind Kabuto and firmly jabbed a spot on the back of his neck, instantly rendering the criminal unconsious.

Shikamaru nodded his head in approval.

"Kage Kubi Shibari no Jutsu"

In an instant, Shikamaru's shadow was once again connected and attached to Kabuto's.

"Sasuke, is this really Kabuto?"

Sasuke thoroughly analyzed the surrounding area. He was careless before, but he didn't plan on making the same mistake twice. The body before them, without a doubt, had to be Kabuto. The black haired avenger nodded.

Before long, two shadow-like hands began snaking up Kabuto's body towards the neck. Unfortunately, he was knocked unconscious, so he didn't feel any pain when Shikamaru's shadow strangled him to death.

When Kabuto's body fell limp on the ground, Sakura examined it thoroughly. She let out a low whistle.

"Yup…he's dead alright."

Sakura smiled.

"Great job, guys. Ino and I will take it from here. We'll dispose of the body."

The guys left the girls to do their thing as they headed back to camp. Aside from some overturned tents, kunai, and drops of blood around the camp, everything seemed fine. Chouji crawled into his tent wordlessly, and Shikamaru pulled Sasuke aside for a talk.

"Sasuke…I understand why you would want to get your hands on the scrolls…and I'm glad I was able to trust you back there when I needed someone to count on."

Sasuke guiltily remained silent.

"It's hard for me to admit this, but I never really trusted you at the beginning of this mission. You're an okay guy…"

Shikamaru let out a loud yawn, but Sasuke lost the desire to steal the scroll. His body freezing up the last time Shikamaru yawned…? That probably happened for a reason.

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**ComeComeParadise Corner:**

**Omg, that was a terrible chapter!!! I can't believe how cheesy everything sounds!!! I'm sorry for having to put you all through this kind of torture!!! But I already know that I did a bad job, so please don't remind me in your reviews!!! Constructive criticism yes, but flames expressing your passionate hatred of this chapter ( "zomg this chapter is teh suxzors! What were you smokin when you wrote this???") Haha. I can assure you all that I don't smoke. I don't plan to either. XD So yah. **

**And Alexis…you do have a point there. I AM a stubborn writer! XD I mean…look at this story—I'm already on chapter 38 and I'm STILL not done! GAH! XD This is probably just the midpoint of my story…if you could even call it that. Gawsh, I should call this a fan novel, not fanfiction! XD Well, I guess I should aim to finish this story at around…maybe…chapter 50? Or maybe I won't end this thing until I get 1000 reviews! WHOOO!!! XD**

**Continue reading if you dare.**

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"I want you and Ino to stand guard again tonight. Sakura needs to rest, so I'm not giving her any shifts. The sun should be rising soon anyway. Stand guard for about 2 hours, then Chouji and I will take over till sunrise. Be sure to let the girls know when they get here…I'm gonna go hit the sack."

Sasuke nodded as he watched Shikamaru drag himself into his tent. He saw Sakura and Ino approaching the camp not too long afterwards. _What am I doing…?_ Sasuke was now more confused than ever. His priorities weren't as straight and "black and white" as they used to be…in fact, he no longer had ANY idea what his priorities _were_. When Shikamaru said that he was an okay guy, Sasuke felt like he belonged—that Naruto, Kakashi and Sakura werent the only people that cared…for the first time in a long time, Sasuke felt like he was part of a _family._

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**ComeComeParadise Corner:**

**Haha, so there you have it. Chapter 38….man this story is getting long…wells, don't forget to REVIEW everyone! And no flames!!!**


	39. Sasuke's sexual orientation: REVEALED!

**CCP: Hey everyone! Wells…I updated! Hopefully that didn't take too long! XD And thanks for all the lovely reviews! (blows kisses)**

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"_I want you and Ino to stand guard again tonight. Sakura needs to rest, so I'm not giving her any shifts. The sun should be rising soon anyway. Stand guard for about 2 hours, then Chouji and I will take over till sunrise. Be sure to let the girls know when they get here…I'm gonna go hit the sack."_

_Sasuke nodded as he watched Shikamaru drag himself into his tent. He saw Sakura and Ino approaching the camp not too long afterwards. What am I doing…? Sasuke was now more confused than ever. His priorities weren't as straight and "black and white" as they used to be…in fact, he no longer had ANY idea what his priorities were. When Shikamaru said that he was an okay guy, Sasuke felt like he belonged—that Naruto, Kakashi and Sakura werent the only people that cared…for the first time in a long time, Sasuke felt like he was part of a family._

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As soon as Ino had managed to convince Sakura to go get some rest, all was silent. An air of awkwardness lingered between the two ninja standing guard…or so it seemed. Each was absorbed in his or her own thoughts…and if the fire never went out, Sasuke and Ino would have _remained _in their own thoughts.

In no time, the fire was going again—thanks to Sasuke. Just as the angsty ninja was about to sit back down, Ino spoke up…

"So…"

…However, the brooding shinobi chose to ignore her and remain silent…which Ino took no note of, of course.

"Sasuke…how does it feel to be such a liar?"

The said man refused to speak. Why should he? He didn't even know what the insane woman beside him was talking about. Ino actually noticed this, and continued speaking.

"While Sakura and I were disposing of Kabuto's body, we had the most interesting conversation…"

She paused as if she were catching her breath, and then started giggling.

"SERIOUSLY, you should have seen the size of his (giggle)! It was TINY!!! (more giggling) It was probably about the size of my thumb…not that I was measuring, of course! (roaring laughter)"

Sasuke watched Ino as she struggled to control herself. After a few more moments of him remaining wordless, he (finally) responded…albeit in a monotonous tone.

"..Is that all you two talked about?"

He was surprised that she hadn't woken anyone up with her loud cackling. After a few more seconds, the boar had calmed down.

"Relax, emo. I was just kidding."

"Emo..?"

Sasuke began to think that Ino was a lot less annoying when she had a crush on him…and Ino continued ranting. She inhaled deeply and sighed.

"Sakura told me what she saw when she first got back to camp earlier today. She said that you were hovering over Shikamaru…and that was because it was cold…for crying out loud! What kind of an idiot buys that?"

_Apparently, Sakura does…_

Ino wagged her finger in front of Sasuke as if she were a mother reprimanding her child.

"I know what's going on, Uchiha Sasuke. Don't think that you can hide this for long, when I, the gorgeous Ino Yamanaka am on your tail."

The man resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"And after all this…I thought you were strait, Sasuke!"

…_say what…?_

"…I thought you were strait forward enough, man enough, and _honest _enough about—"

"About what, my sexuality?"

Sasuke couldn't take it anymore, and Ino gawked at him.

"Sasuke, are you saying that you're after…_Shikamaru…?_"

Sasuke stopped himself from answering right away and thought about the question. _Well…the Nara did have the scroll when I needed it…_

"Hn. I _was_ after Shikamaru…but not anymore."

Ino's skin turned pale.

"Why aren't you after Shikamaru anymore? Why were you after him in the _first_ place?"

Sasuke paused for a moment. _Should I really be answering all this…?_

"Change of heart."

Ino gasped as if she had heard a horrendous thing.

"But Sasuke…you haven't answered my second question—why were you after Shikamaru in the _first place?_"

The prodigy remained silent. There was no way that he was going to tell Ino about the whole "scroll" incident, for more than one reason. Not only was Sasuke confused about his priorities, but also, he was never one to share his secret plans with anyone, let alone a former fangirl that he'd rather have nothing to do with….However, that former fangirl just cant take any hints. Within seconds, she was showering Sasuke with one worded questions.

"Well…?"

Silence…

"Answer!"

Silence…

"Sasuke…?"

MORE BORING SILENCE.

The blue eyed blonde groaned in frustration, and was confused to find the Uchiha brood groaning along with her.

"Well…?"

Sasuke let out a sigh.

"You're not shutting up until I answer you right?"

Exhausted, Ino merely nodded.

"Well…I'd rather not say."

Within the span of a second, Ino went from dumbfounded to downright furious. She shrieked loudly.

"AFTER ALL THAT, WHY WONT YOU ANSWER MY QUESTION??? I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT I SAW IN YOU BACK WHEN WE WERE GENIN!!! WE'RE THROUGH!!! FINISHED! FINITO! Muy bien, gracias!"

"Alright already, you troublesome woman. I'm awake. Sheesh."

Ino paused and turned around, only to find herself face to face with a very annoyed Shikamaru.

"I'm here to take over. Go get some rest, woman."

After mumbling a colorful string of curses, the (psycho) Yamanaka went to bed.

"Oh and Ino, 'Muy bien, gracias' means 'very good, thank you.'"

"SHUT UP, YOU STUPID GENIUS!"

Just as Shikamaru opened his mouth to point out the 'troublesome' flaws of Ino's latest statement, Sasuke shook his head slowly.

"I wouldn't if I were you…what's with her?"

The Nara shrugged his shoulders and scratched the back of his head.

"…If I were to say that she's just a little…_off_, then I'd be lying."

Both men smirked in amusement.

"Urp…mother, I'm awake…why didn't you prepare the bacon like I asked?"

Sasuke and Shikamaru turned to see a disgruntled, and very disoriented Chouji. The cloud-gazer sighed and walked up to Chouji, whom he promptly slapped lightly.

"Wake up."

"Uwow…"

The pineapple-haired tactician groaned.

"Listen, Uchiha. Go ahead and get some rest. I can take care of this myself."

The said man smirked and helped the Nara wake the big man up anyways. After digging in his pouch for a little while, Sasuke found what he was looking for. He immediately made his way over to the fire and held a piece of bacon over it. Before long, the sweet aroma of bacon filled the air, and within seconds, the Akimichi was awake and drooling.

Shikamaru silently thanked Sasuke with a nod, and Sasuke nodded in return.

"_It's hard for me to admit this, but I never really trusted you at the beginning of this mission. You're an okay guy…"_

"You know…I wouldn't expect someone like you to help someone like me out."

Sasuke stopped for an instant as he contemplated what Shikamaru had said. He slowly crawled into his tent and went to sleep.

"…_I wouldn't expect someone like you to help someone like me out."_

_Neither would I…I've changed…is that a bad thing…?_

Sasuke didn't like the feeling of not knowing the answer to his own question, and he went to sleep distressed and confused.

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**ComeComeParadise corner:**

**Okay…sorry if Sasuke is a tad-bit OOC (major understatement of the year! XD) Wells…let's say that that's intentional on my part. He's a changing man! And the weirdness with Ino…that was my fault entirely. I was caught up in an attempt to add crack to the fic, but I forgot about the semi-seriousness of the whole situation…and I guess I was awkward going back to the serious. XP**

**Anyways, please continue reading, and don't let that stop you from reviewing! XD And also…HAPPY HOLIDAYS! (Since I don't want to insult anyone by saying Christmas or Hanukah, etc.)**

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The team of five continued on their journey the next day in utter silence. They were to arrive at Sunagakure by sunset. However, on their way to Suna, all five of them couldn't shake off the feeling that they were STILL being followed.

_It looks like we're getting quite popular. It seems that we've got ourselves a stalker, and an expert one at that. I'm flattered, really. I mean, it's such an honor to have an expert stalker than a paparazzi stalker...I think I'm going to add this to my non-existent blog…_

Ino's mind was preoccupied with thoughts of annoyance. Chouji's mind was preoccupied with thoughts of food. Sakura's mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Sasuke. Sasuke's mind was preoccupied with thoughts of his brother. And Shikamaru's mind was preoccupied with thoughts of less-troublesome activities.

Everyone was too exhausted to worry about the potential stalker that they had on their tail. They were nearing Sunagakure anyways…

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**ComeComeParadise Corner:**

**REVIEW!!! CLICKETH ON THE REVIEW BUTTON! But no flames! There isn't a flame button for a reason! XD**


	40. Suna or Latermission accomplished?

**CCP: After a couple of months, I finally updated. If you're wondering what took me so long, read my author's note in the middle of the chapter.**

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_The team of five continued on their journey the next day in utter silence. They were to arrive at Sunagakure by sunset. However, on their way to Suna, all five of them couldn't shake off the feeling that they were STILL being followed. _

It looks like we're getting quite popular. It seems that we've got ourselves a stalker, and an expert one at that. I'm flattered, really. I mean, it's such an honor to have an expert stalker than a paparazzi stalker…

_Ino's mind was preoccupied with thoughts of annoyance. Chouji's mind was preoccupied with thoughts of food. Sakura's mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Sasuke. Sasuke's mind was preoccupied with thoughts of his brother. And Shikamaru's mind was preoccupied with thoughts of less-troublesome activities. _

_Everyone was too exhausted to worry about the potential stalker that they had on their tail. They were nearing Sunagakure anyways…_

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Finally, after a couple more hours of walking, the Konoha ninja saw signs of civilization.

"All right, we're nearing Sunagakure. It's approximately two miles from here." Shikamaru briefly glanced up at the sun above them. It was beginning to set. With a slight smile, he added, "Looks like we're right on schedule."

Immediately, Sakura, Ino, and Chouji breathed out a sigh of relief. Whether they were being followed or not, they felt that they would be able to relax a bit knowing that their allies were near by should they be attacked once more. Sasuke remained silent.

"Don't even think about relaxing just yet," Everyone turned towards Shikamaru.

"This mission isn't over until the scroll is safely delivered to the Kazekage."

Sakura, Sasuke, and Chouji silently acknowledged that Shikamaru was right. Ino however, was slightly peeved.

"Since when did you care about all that? For as long as I can remember you were always the first to complain about how 'troublesome' everything was. Whenever we reached a similar point in our other missions, you would immediately relax and ask to go back…why do you suddenly care whether or not we feel 'relaxed'? If anything, we feel relieved since this mission is almost over. All I really want to do right now is get some well deserved rest and eat some decent food. We've eaten nothing but junk food from Chouji's stash these past few days…what I'm trying to say is—"

"—That's enough, Ino."

Taken aback, Ino let out a slight gasp. Sure, she _did_ say more than was necessary, but it wasn't like Shikamaru had the right to just scold everyone for relaxing like they just did…did he? Ino stared at Shikamaru, who was now looking down at the ground.

"Why do I care? Well maybe it's because I changed, Ino. I grew up…I _matured_, if you will. _Many_ of us have matured, although I can't say the same for you."

Was Shikamaru…_scolding_ her? Ino felt a wellspring of emotions bubbling inside of her. Before she knew it, she found herself shouting at Shikamaru, and letting her emotions control her.

"Of course I matured you shirker! You've got quite some nerve, scolding me like that…"

"Ino, a few seconds ago, you said that all you wanted to do was to rest and eat some food. How can you think about things like that when we haven't even finished delivering a scroll with valuable information yet? A true shinobi isn't selfish like that. 'We put our emotions aside and put the mission first…'" Shikamaru paused for a moment to collect himself. He was on the verge of snapping back there. That was the last thing that he wanted to do.

"…That's what Asuma-sensei said." Ino's voice was barely above a whisper, and confusion was written all over her face. Where was Shikamaru going with all of this anyways?

Shikamaru glanced back towards the horizon, where the sun was barely visible. The whole area had an orange-ish hue, and it was getting late.

"…Troublesome woman…now we're behind schedule. There's nothing I hate more than playing catch-up. Sasuke! Sakura! Chouji! Woman! Let's go! We are to continue traveling until we reach Suna, regardless of how late it is, or how tired or hungry we are."

Everyone silently did as they were told, and they group of five continued traveling in silence. Despite the fact that two miles isn't a very great distance, those two miles were one of the longest two miles Ino has ever traveled. Her mind was running amok, and she was finding it more and more difficult to focus on the task at hand. In all the sixteen (they're all sixteen now) years that she and Shikamaru had known each other, not once had he scolded her like he did just now…and something about his behavior wasn't quite right.

_Think Ino, Think! Lazy pants over there isn't even acting like himself, and it's up to you as his teammate to help him get better. He was acting like himself yesterday…but he's been extra…tense since this morning. Whatever it is that's bugging him, it happened between last night and this morning. But what?_

Ino racked her brain thinking of multiple possibilities, but none of them seemed to make sense. By the time they reached the gates of Sand village, she still hadn't come up with a single conclusion.

Two guards were sitting by the post. One of them had red hair and black tiger stripes drawn across his face. The other wore a bandana that covered his mouth—much like the typical cowboy bandit. His purple hair was tied up into a short, high ponytail. Their faces lit up when they saw Shikamaru approaching the gate. Immediately, they leaped down and were standing in front of them. Shikamaru remained unfazed.

"We're Konoha ninja on an A-ranked mission. We're delivering a scroll containing important information to the Kazekage."

The guards grinned at the pineapple-headed genius.

"Long time no see, boy. Are you here to see Temari?"

With a roll of his eyes, Shikamaru groaned as he pulled out the scroll.

"I'm not kidding. We need to deliver these scrolls to your Kazekage. Save your troublesome jokes for next time. I'm trying to focus on my mission."

The grins of the guards only grew wider. The taller of the two—the one wearing the bandana—spoke.

"That's the thing—the Kazekage never requested such a scroll."

"But that's not the point!" Everyone turned to look at Sakura.

"We were instructed to deliver this scroll to the Kazekage. Whether or not he requested the scroll is not the point. The point is that as allies of Sunagakure, the ninja at Konohagakure decided that it was best that your leader was familiar with the information contained in this scroll."

This time, the red-haired shinobi spoke.

"Watch yourself, girlie. Don't you think we already knew that? Let me try to rephrase what Sato-san just said. That scroll that your leader is delivering contains nothing of value."

"Say what?"

This time, it was Chouji's turn to be upset.

"We were attacked by an enemy because he wanted the scroll that we're trying to deliver! So that MUST mean that the information in our scroll is worth something!"

"Look here, _fatty._" The red-haired one spoke, "I'm sorry that some idiot decided to attack you, but what I say is true. That scroll is void, null, pathetically _worthless_."

"What did you…just…call…ME???"

Chouji began to blow smoke from his ears and nose like a bull. Shikamaru put his arm in front of Chouji before anyone got hurt.

"Don't Chouji. We're guests here." Shikamaru's eyes lowered for a moment—a moment that wasn't missed by Ino.

_Come to think about it, there was a bird that delivered a letter to Shikamaru this morning…but I always assumed that it was about our mission…and then Shikamaru quotes Asuma-sensei…does that mean that…?_

Ino glanced at Shikamaru, who was resuming a conversation with the guards.

"Obviously you guys know something that we don't. We were informed that the scrolls we were carrying contained information about the recent demise of the Akatsuki and possibly, Uchiha Itachi. But you guys insist that the scroll we're carrying is void…so who do you think is right? Are you going to refuse your fellow shinobi without at least asking the Kazekage to confirm?"

The guards looked at each other uncertainly.

"Well?" Shikamaru asked, "Are you going to leave your guests by the door? We'd like to speak to your Kazekage."

"That won't be necessary."

Everyone turned around to find a smiling Kakashi behind them.

"Ka-Ka…Kakashi-sensei…?" Sakura gaped.

"Weren't you supposed to be on a mission?" Ino asked.

Sasuke grinned.

"So were you the one who was following us the whole time…?"

Shikamaru nodded, and Kakashi scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Alright, alright, you got me."

"Isnt there more you'd like to tell us, Kakashi-sensei?"

KAkashi turned surprised, at Shikamaru. After a brief pause, he smiled.

"Yeah…actually, there is something that you all should know."

Everyone, including the guards focused their attention on Kakashi.

"You see…this was actually more of a…test…The test was for all of you, but it was focusing on one of you in particular…"

"…and that would be Sasuke-kun, right Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi smiled and nodded in Sakura's direction.

"Yup 3. You're right!"

Sakura looked away, seemingly upset. Sasuke, sensing this asked her the first question that came to his mind.

"How did you know that, Sakura?" _Right…smooth…_

Not exactly the question that your typical boyfriend would ask if he sensed that you were upset, but then again, Sasuke's anything but typical. Kakashi seemed to want to know the answer to Sasuke's question anyways.

Sakura shrugged slightly.

"I figured as much…Sasuke-kun betrayed Konoha a few years ago…and even though he has been accepted back into our village, the elders still must not trust him completely…I've been thinking…even if Naruto has vouched in favor of Sasuke several times, the Hokage isn't a dictator with absolute power, right?"

Some people nodded.

"…So…the fact that Sasuke-kun got away scotch-free was too lucky…and I guess that the elders still want Sasuke to prove his allegiance to our village…despite what Naruto says about Sasuke-kun."

Kakshi smiled under his mask.

"Sharper than ever, Sakura…but I wouldn't expect any less from my favorite kunoichi."

However, instead of smiling, like what Kakashi, or anyone would have expected Sakura to do, Sakura frowned.

"Kaka-sensei…"

The enigmatic jonin replied, "Hmm?"

"You said that the test was for all of us…how come? If the main reason of this test was to make sure that Sasuke was loyal to Konoha, then why involve us?"

Kakashi scratched his chin. He was obviously having a hard time explaining and answering Sakura's questions.

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**ComeComeParadise Corner:**

**Hola everyone! Thanks for reading and reviewing!!! Wowzers…40 chapters…I wonder how many chapters I'll finish this story with…? Maybe somewhere around 50 or 55 chapters…or maybe if I really drag it out, I can finish this story with 69 chapters!!! WOOT!!! Anyways, I have good and bad news.**

**Good: I updated after an eternity, and my finals are over, so I have more time to focus on what I'm going to write next chapter…that is, until my quarter finals arrive. XP**

**Bad: I have major writer's block (this chapter was a forced effort), so therefore, my updates will most likely be more and more sparse from now on.**

**I ask that you would all please be patient with me. Nobody's perfect. I'll try to see if I can squeeze out little one-shots here and there between my updates, but I'm not promising anything. Anyways…patience is a virtue, and reviews are the bread and water of an author's life! Please help me to continue living! Feed me your reviews!!!**

**I'm not asking for only nice-comments. I accept constructive criticism. And by constructive criticisms, I mean suggestions for improvements. NO FLAMES ARE ALLOWED. If you have suggestions, by all means go for it because I'm all ears, but if all you want to do is vent out your anger and frustration and tell me how badly my writing sucks, save it. Please and thank you everyone. And if you're wondering why I sound semi-pissed, it's because I'm PMS-ing. Don't ask why, don't ask how…or at least don't ask me. Ask your parents. Ask your doctor…just don't ask me. XP**

**Thanks for listening to my incessant rambling. Now go on and continue reading!!!**

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"You see…Tsunade has looked into your records…and it seems that none of you have sufficient experience delivering vital documents to foreign shinobi. So she suggested to Naruto that he put you guys on this mission. And since Sasuke is in the same group as Sakura, the elders agreed, seeing that they may as well kill two birds with one stone. They can test Sasuke's trustworthiness while you guys gained some more experience."

Chouji, being semi-sonfused, spoke.

"But why should it matter whether or not we have experience delivering scrolls? I know that I'm not wrong to say that all of us have successfully completed missions several times more dangerous than this one. We've dealt with assassins; we've dealt with assassinations…what is delivering a scroll compared to that? We've already experienced protecting people with our lives…how is protecting an object any different?"

"Because…in this mission, we _knew_ that you would be dealing with Orochimaru's former right hand man Kabuto. We lightly sensed his presence when we were discussing a recent mission…and we began to fabricate a bunch of lies. And _besides_…Sasuke's trustworthiness wasn't the only thing being tested. We were testing to see whether or not any of you would have the guts to peek at the scrolls…kind of like the second exam in the Forest of Death. We were testing your efficiency with traveling. What if you guys had to deliver a scroll within a set amount of time? Would you be able to make it on time, even after taking into account all the possible ambushes your enemies may have planned? If this scroll was to be delivered in two days, you guys would have failed."

Everyone silently pondered Kakashi's words. The silver haired man, in an attempt to lighten up the mood smiled and cleared his throat.

"Well, in any case, why don't we rest up here? I'll inform Naruto about your guys' success."

Everyone began to make their way into Sand village. However, before they were all the way in, Kakashi called out to Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji.

"Ino-Shika-Cho version two: I'm sorry about what happened to Asuma—"

"—Don't worry about it, Kakashi-sensei. We're all fine."

Everyone watched as an upset Shikamaru shoved his hands into his pockets and walked inside the village. Ino and Chouji watched Shikamaru's retreating back. Both of them had the same thing in their minds.

_What about Asuma-sensei? What was that about…?_

Kakashi interrupted their thoughts with a sigh.

"Did Shikamaru not tell anybody about the news..?"

Ino and Chouji shook their heads solemnly. The copy-cat ninja scratched the back of his head, obviously puzzled.

"Well then I guess it's not my place to tell you guys what happened."

As he said that, Kakashi walked in through the gates as well.

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**ComeComeParadise Corner:**

**Thanks for reading everyone! Hopefully you read my author's note in the middle…anyways, REVIEW!!! And…NO FLAMES!!! WHOOT!!! **

**With Love,**

**ComeComeParadise**

**xoxoxo**


	41. we're all in this together!

**CCP Here with another chapter!!! WOOT!!!**

**SakuraBlossoms68: Your email addresss didn't appear in your review. Many sorries…maybe you can add this story to your story alert list, or book mark it?**

**Thanks for all the reviews and understanding everyone! You all ROCK!!! Seriously, I was expecting some people to be upset, but…quite the opposite happened really—everyone was extremely supportive and understanding. Thanks everybody! And since not many people read the top note, I'll just copy and paste this into my author's note in the middle! XD**

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"_Ino-Shika-Cho version two: I'm sorry about what happened to Asuma—"_

"—_Don't worry about it, Kakashi-sensei. We're all fine."_

_Everyone watched as an upset Shikamaru shoved his hands into his pockets and walked inside the village. Ino and Chouji watched Shikamaru's retreating back. Both of them had the same thing in their minds._

_What about Asuma-sensei? What was that about…?_

_Kakashi interrupted their thoughts with a sigh._

"_Did Shikamaru not tell anybody about the news..?"_

_Ino and Chouji shook their heads solemnly. The copy-cat ninja scratched the back of his head, obviously puzzled._

"_Well then I guess it's not my place to tell you guys what happened." _

_As he said that, Kakashi walked in through the gates as well._

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"Alright everyone, as your reward for performing so well on this mission and exceeding the expectations of the Naruto and myself, you guys can have a mini-vacation here. Use your time here wisely, because we're only staying for two days."

At that, Kakashi disappeared off into the streets of Sunagakure—to find and buy the latest issue of ComeComeParadise, no doubt.

Shikamaru sighed. "In that case, we still need a place to stay. Do any of you guys have money?"

Everyone fumbled around their pockets. When they combined their money, they were disappointed to find that they only had enough money to buy them all dinner and one night at a hotel. Shikamaru groaned irritably.

"I thought I asked you guys to pack enough money to restock on weapons."

"We did," Sasuke answered, "but you also told us not to bring too much money or else it would weigh us down."

"Looks like you guys are in a tough spot, huh?" A familiar voice emerged from behind them.

"Tch, figures. They were in trouble the last time we saw them, so why should it be any different this time?"

Everyone turned towards the people that spoke. Much to their surprise, and partial dismay (on Ino's part), the group found themselves face to face with Temari and Kankuro.

"Long time no see," Temari spoke.

"I hear you guys are having quite a bit of a dilemma here. Lemme guess. Dr. Mask-ing tape there told you to stay without actually giving you a place to stay?" Kankurou added.

Shikamaru smirked.

"Always good with the timing. Didn't your parents teach you that it's rude to eavesdrop?"

Temari was unfazed.

"Yeah, but they also taught me to help crybabies like you."

Sakura smiled. Seeing Shikamaru and Temari together was like seeing an old couple go at each other…it was quite amusing, actually, and Sakura would be amused too if her stomach would stop growling.

Before long, everyone found themselves being made comfortable at the Sand Siblings' house. It was quite odd really. Although none of them, except for maybe Shikamaru, knew the Sand siblings that well, it seemed _odd_ for them to be acting all hospitable.

"We owe you guys for saving Gaara's life…and for pretty much saving ours. Gaara's a lot better than how he used to be a few years back. It's almost like he's a normal brother now…" Temari's voice faded as she gazed at Gaara's old teddy bear, which was lying down on a shelf not too far from where they were sitting.

Kankurou couldn't help but agree. He no longer felt the need to be afraid of his baby brother anymore.

"Besides," he added, "We didn't do much last time (referring to the war in the earliest chapters of my fanfic)…it's the least we can do. And anyways…it's not like we weren't aware of your mission. We were informed by Gaara that something like this would happen."

Everyone nodded and a heavy, but not awkward, silence followed. Temari was the first to break the silence.

"We have one room upstairs and a couch down here…but it doesn't look like all of you are going to fit in the house…"

_Great…_

"Hey Temari, why don't you share your room with Pinkie and Blondie?" Kankurou asked.

"I don't know, Kankurou, why don't you share your room with Emo, Crybaby, and Aki-MEATY?"

Sasuke, Shikamaru and Chouji cleared their throats in unison. _Did she have to be so harsh?_

"How about we trade, then? Pinkie and Blondie can stay in MY room, and Emo, Crybaby and Aki-MEATLOAF can stay in YOUR room."

Within seconds, Kankurou's face was left with Sakura's, Ino's and Chouji's hands imprinted on his face.

"And it's Aki-MEATY to you! NOT Meatloaf!" Chouji huffed.

"Look," Shikamaru got up and stretched, "I'll take the couch, Sakura and Ino will stay with Temari, and Sasuke will stay with Chouji in the room. Fighting is always so troublesome…"

"Wait a minute, hot-shot—why do I have to share my room?" Temari asked.

Shikamaru opened one of his closed eyes and peered at Temari nonchalantly.

"Chouji needs and uses the most room, and Sasuke probably wouldn't get along with Kankurou. Sakura and Ino shouldn't be spending the night in the same room as a guy, and I'd really prefer to be alone right now—there's a lot on my mind."

_Oh that's right…!_

Ino glanced frantically at Shikamaru. He still seemed slightly…_off. _Before Temari could protest, Ino jumped up and grabbed her arm.

"Well! I guess you'd better show Sakura and me where your room is, then! You know, it's really nice of you guys to open up your house for us. Really!"

Temari paused, then let out a defeated sigh. "No really, it's our pleasure," she grumbled.

Shikamaru let out a breath that he didn't even know he was holding, and mentally, he thanked Ino for just being…Ino when he needed her to be herself the most.

Ino had finished dragging Temari a good three yards away from the group when she paused and asked Sakura whether she was coming or not. After her initial shock from Ino's bolder than usual behavior wore off of her, Sakura nodded.

"You two go ahead. I'll catch up!"

After picking up her pouch, which she had put down earlier, Sakura got up and bowed to Kankuro.

"Please excuse my friend. I wish I could blame her behavior on alcohol…but then I'd be lying…You see, whenever Ino drinks the slightest bit of alcohol, her behavior is almost as bad as Lee's…only she doesn't know squat about Taijutsu, so she looks more like a drunken amateur than a professional drunken fist master…or at least that's what Gai-sensei told me. He said that Lee was the most youthful at doing everything…but then again this is Gai-sensei we're talking about…so actually, you should be thankful that she didn't have any alcoholic beverages before meeting you guys…"

The room remained silent, and Sakura realized that she had spoken too much. No one followed a thing that she said, and within seconds, Sakura felt her cheeks flushing from embarrassment.

"N-never mind…forget what I just said earlier. Thanks for everything…now if you would excuse me…"

Sakura took a couple of steps away from the group until her eyes met Sasuke's. After another calculated pause, and some summoning of her own personal courage, Sakura glanced at Sasuke briefly before landing a small peck on his cheek.

"Goodnight Sasuke-kun." And at that, a blushing Sakura scurried away to catch up with the two blonde females.

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For the first time in what seemed like ages, Uchiha Sasuke was caught completely off-guard. And unfortunately, his usual poker-face and 'Hn' wouldn't be enough to let that go unnoticed. The Chouji stopped munching on an apple that he found under the couch, Shikamaru stopped brooding, and Kankurou stopped messing with his makeup. (He even put his compact away! Oh Em GEE!!!)

After a loud swallow of the apple bits in his mouth, Chouji gaped at what he had just seen. "Dude…"

--five point seven seconds later…--

Chouji continued gaping. "…Whoah…."

Within that time frame, Kankuro and Shikamaru managed to regain their composture. After clearing their throats, they spoke up.

"What was that all about?" Shikamaru asked.

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders as nonchalantly as possible and looked away.

Shikamaru stretched his arms and placed them behind his head. "I already know about how you two are an item...But that's just why I'm asking…you'd think that after knowing each other all these years you two would be more comfortable around each other."

"Lucky prick..." Kankurou muttered.

"What, are you interested in Sakura?" Shikamaru asked.

"No…" Kankurou paused as he thought of the best way to put the way he felt. "I mean, you see guys like Marilyn what's-his-face (I don't like him) landing hotties…and he wears more make up than I do! My point is…why is it that that makeup junkie gets all the ladies, while I, a felloe makeup junkie only attract MEN…who enjoy dressing up like ladies? Is there no justice in this world?"

_Nice…_

Shikamaru sighed. "Women are all troublesome…I can't imagine loving one, let alone spending the rest of my life with one."

"What about your mom?"

Kankuro snorted. "Hello there, Uchiha. Welcome to the conversation."

Sasuke remained silent as he awaited an answer. A mental image of his late mother flashed in his mind, and Sasuke lowered his gaze to the wooden floor. Meanwhile, in Shikamaru's mind, an image of HIS mother flashed as well, only unlike Sasuke, Shikamaru ended up slightly shivering with fear.

"Ugh…My mom whoops my dad good, and she's loud and troublesome. Simply put, she's the scariest thing alive. If given a choice between Naruto's snoring/sleeptalking and my mom's troublesome nagging, I'd face Naruto any day."

Sasuke felt the corners of his mouth tug into a slight smile. Kankuro felt his do the same. Both were without bothers, and yet, they were still able to find humor in Shikamaru's answer. It's true: Naruto's snoring and sleeptalking is terribly nerve-wracking. Before his smile got too big, Sasuke stopped himself and began thinking. _Maybe this is what it feels like to have…friends… other than Naruto and Kakashi…_ It felt…_nice_. Sasuke hardly ever let his guard down, even if he was enjoying the company of Kakashi, Naruto, or Sakura, and he knew that he would probably never be able to willingly let it down until Itachi was dead. But that night, Sasuke decided that maybe it would be okay for him to let go…just a little.

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**ComeComeParadise corner:**

**Hey, Hey, Hey! It's CCP!!! XD Yup, I updated. Your eyes do not deceive you. As for the updates, they wont be any faster, but they will happen. I honestly want to thank ALL of you guys for your extreme understanding. Seriously! I was expecting tomatoes to be thrown, and people to be x-ing me off of their favorites/alert lists…but instead I had people understanding and supporting me. I honestly can't thank you guys enough. May God bless you ALL! XD**

**And on another note: I don't plan on adding Hidan to the story…there are too many characters popping up in the manga…and considering the fact that Oro's been wiped out since early on in my story, I don't think it would make too much sense to add Karin, Suigetsu, and Juugo into my story. (It'd be too much work anyways) And Yamato and Sai aren't really in here either…yipes. XD Oh well, maybe some other time. Yamato is mentioned in my other fanfic "She loves him, she loves me not" (shameless self-advertiser) XD **

**This chapter is actually longer than the last one…huh…erm, don't forget to REVIEW!!!**

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_Meanwhile, with the kunoichi…_

"Alright kids, you two can have the floor beds. I hope you don't mind—the last guests were kinda meaty…"

"Like 'Aki_meaty?_'" muttered Sakura.

"…So the beds have dents on them…we have some extra large tee shirts which can double as pajamas, the hot water's running, and the bathroom is down the hall, third door on the right."

Ino and Sakura nodded as their brains processed the information. _Right…gotcha…_

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In the room next door, the guys were quietly unrolling their beds…save the sound of Chouji devouring the bag of crackers he found in his pocket…how did he fit a whole bag of crackers in his pockets? Who knows?

After they were done setting up, Sasuke, Kankuro and Chouji sat down quietly…but then again Chouji was STILL eating (surprise, surprise) noisily. After a couple more minutes of sitting through Chouji's chomping, Kankuro finally decided that he had enough.

"Hey, must you always be eating?"

The meaty boy swallowed his cracker and dug into the cracker bag.

"Want one?"

Never one to pass up free food, Kankuro nodded his head eagerly. "Sure!"

At that, Chouji grabbed a cracker and popped it into his mouth. "Sorry," he said between chewing, "That was the last one."

Sasuke sighed. Earlier that evening, they thought that there wasn't any food left…and now here was Chouji finding food all over the place.

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Shikamaru was ready for bed before everyone else. When you were sleeping on the couch, there wasn't much to do except throw a blanket over the couch and maybe a few pillows. But Shikamaru always thought that "if there isn't a pillow available, then it'd be too troublesome to look for one". And while everyone else was settling into their rooms and adjusting to the people that they'll be spending the night with, Shikamaru was staring up at the starts from the balcony.

He had only just been alerted about Asuma sensei's _incident_ early that morning, but he felt like it happened minutes ago. It had hit him in the face, very much like his mother's hulk-like hands whenever he "misbehaved". Ever since he was a genin, whenever he found himself in a tough situation, Asuma seemed to be there to back him up…the reality that he was alone now shook Shikamaru up. He felt confident getting the team TO Suna, because he had no idea about what happened to Asuma…but he still had to bring them back home. What now? And on top of it all, Shikamaru was instructed to inform his teammates…how on earth was he supposed to do all that?

"Mendokuse…why do these things always happen to me…?" Shikamaru asked to no one in particular.

"Because you're a Nara, and Nara men always have it tough."

Shikamaru turned around only to be greeted by a pair of baby blue eyes. _Oh…_For a moment there, he thought his dad was there with him. Ino made her way next to Shikamaru. For a moment, the two of them stood in silence…until a familiar loud chomping approached the two of them.

Shikamaru smirked, and both he and Ino recognized the sound and the chakra immediately. _How on earth did he make it as a ninja if he can't even approach people quietly?_ The world may never know…

Before long, Ino-Shika-Chou was gathered on the balcony…in semi-silence.

"Shikamaru…"Ino began, "What's been bothering you…?"

"It's noth-"

"Yo Shikamaru!" Chouji paused to swallow his cheerios, "What's been bothering you?"

"BAKA! I just asked him that!"

"Ow!"

Shikamaru smiled at Ino, Chouji, and the bump growing on Chouji's head. Through all their years together, not a thing had changed. The Nara boy sighed. There was no use in delaying the inevitable. There before him stood his teammates, his comrades, and since their early childhood, his friends. They deserved to know about Asuma.

"Guys…"

Ino stopped beating up Chouji, and Chouji stopped howling in pain. "Yes?" They asked in unison.

"It's Asuma-sensei…"

"Oh yah," Chouji said, "he went on that mission…the one with the people and the horses, and the…"

"…and he's not coming back."

Chouji stopped talking, and Ino's eyes widened in horror. The two of them silently urged Shikamaru to go on, and Shikamaru seemingly understood.

"There were ninjas…there was fighting…there was blood…you know, the usual…but unlike what usually happens, our sensei didn't come out victorious. In fact, he didn't come out at all. The ninja that did this got away…and he took Asuma-sensei's life with him."

Chouji and Ino silently let their tears fall. After a couple seconds of silence, Ino marched up to Shikamaru and slapped him.

"Ino, what're you--?"

"SHUT UP, Chouji!"

Shikamaru put his hand to his burning cheek. No snide remarks, no complaints. Only silence.

"How dare you…" Ino's voice shook, "How dare you keep this from us? We're his students too…we deserve to know also…"

Chouji stood in awe. "I-Ino…"

"And on top of it all, you suffered on your own. You know better than that! The three of us have known each other since we were in diapers! We've grown up together! We've been through ups and downs…we can deal with the loss of our sensei together. I mean, we've already dealt with so much together anyways…"

Shikamaru remained silent and looked away. Chouji saw this and smiled understandingly.

"It's okay, Shikamaru. We forgive you."

Shikamaru let himself smile a little, and Ino calmed herself down before joining the smiling guys. Chouji gave his teammates a thumbs up.

"We can do this together!" However, his teeth failed to go 'ping!' Instead, they went 'pong!'

"How troublesome…"Shikamaru groaned, "I honestly don't get the point of acting all cheesy like those spandex-wearing dorks."

Nearby in the shadows, a spying Sakura smiled. "Isnt that sweet, Sasuke-kun?" she whispered.

"Hn." Sasuke was way too familiar with the sadness after losing a loved one—several loved ones at that. "They're lucky that they have each other." _If I had someone to turn to after that incident, would I have turned out this way…?_

"You know, Sasuke-kun…the whole village sympathized with you, and you have Naruto, Kaka-sensei, and me."

_Huh…_Sasuke smirked. "What, so you're a mind reader now also?"

It was getting late, so the two of them silently crept back into bed.

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"What about the guy that killed Asuma-sensei?" Chouji asked.

Shikamaru shrugged. "What _about_ him? All I know is that it was a guy with long, black hair."

"Gee, that narrows things down." Chouji muttered.

"Shouldn't we avenge Asuma's death though?" Ino asked.

Shikamaru looked down for a moment. For a moment, Ino sounded like a certain black-haired 'slick guy'.

"Look guys," Shikamaru said carefully, "we all know how a certain person's 'revenge' split up his team, and practically ruined his relationship with the few people that truly cared about him…"

"But we have each other, Shikamaru." Chouji said.

"No Chouji…" Ino spoke. Her eyes were lowered. "I get what Shikamaru's saying. Revenge hurts those around you…" For a moment, Ino relived her memories of trying to cheer a sad Sakura up after Sasuke left. "We shouldn't repeat mistakes. It's foolish."

Shikamaru smiled. _"The next generation will always surpass the generation before it"_

Kakashi had said that once. Shikamaru had understood what it meant at first, but he never actually took it to heart…until now. _We learn from the mistakes of those before us, and we'll continue to grow. The flames grow stronger and fierce, and in time will grow to be able to withstand even the strongest winds. _

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**ComeComeParadise: Okay, that was a tad bit cheesy…sorries! Please REVIEW!!**


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